Sidcup Rotary Club

Sidcup Rotary Club welcomes people who are interested in and care about their environment. Our aim is to ensure everyone is welcome, and no one feels out of place. We have a Satellite membership to cater for those who want to be part of a younger group. We are also exploring new membership models including e-clubs and Rotaract (previously for 18 to 28-year olds).

We are a non-political organisation and pride ourselves in being friendly, non-bureaucratic and welcome to new ideas. Gone are the days when we would accept only professionals or those in business. What really matters is that you are sociable, tolerant, action orientated and keen to make things happen.

We normally meet each Wednesday and mix business with pleasure. We invite interesting speakers to talk about their work, hobbies, or charity. The Sidcup Rotary Club has a Benevolent Trust, which makes donations to good causes after careful consideration and approval by its membership. Members generally join at least one Committee so that everyone gets involved in the running of the Club.

The Coronavirus has forced us to adapt and one benefit of using Zoom to hold our meetings is that members can attend from wherever they are at the time.

As individuals we are involved in a variety of local organisations where we put our skill to use and raise funds for our Benevolent Trust and other charities. Our principal fund raiser is our Christmas Collection when the whole local community enjoys seeing the sleigh and the opportunity to talk briefly to Santa. We also hold Quiz Nights, which are always good fun all the proceeds from which are passed to charities chosen each year. Our biggest single donation to date was over £37,000 to fund a new purpose-built community bus for the Bexley Accessible Transport Scheme which is used regularly by a variety of age groups and people with disabilities. Those interested in finding out more should look at this website, which gives you an insight into what we do. Please email us at rotarysidcup@gmail.com . If you would like further information or think that you might be interested in joining us and our Membership Team will get back to you.

A message from President Martin Low

In my year as President of Sidcup Rotary Club I want us to build on the great work that we do locally, nationally, and internationally.

Locally

We were shocked to find out recently that Bird Colllege had reluctantly announced the closure of its Music Section. We are in discussions with the Rt Hon James Brokenshire MP on how we might assist in fundraising to support those who take over the Music Hub through the Arts Council’s funding of music education in Bexley London Borough. We have previously pledged Benevolent Trust funds to help fund the music concerts at Royal Festival Hall.

Our Rotary Club of Sidcup Educational Trust (RoSET) has also helped talented young people by providing bursaries and helping fund concert tours.

Some members act as volunteers in local schools, listening to children read and invigilating examinations in secondary schools.

Other members help to maintain and enhance the beautiful walled garden at Sidcup Place.

We support the Christmas Day Lunch at Carlton Road Centre and help transport elderly people to and from it, so that they do not spend Christmas Day alone. We have also helped marshall events such as the annual fun walk run by St Christopher’s Hospice and the Fireworks display run by Chislehurst Rotary Club.

Nationally

We have been strong supporters of Young Enterprise for the last 25 years. We believe that the potential of the UK’s young people is unlimited, and an academic education on its own is not enough. Young Enterprise seeks to motivate young people to succeed in the changing world of work by equipping them with the work skills, knowledge and confidence they need.

We have recently supported Bexley Rotary Club and helped it raise funds for a new kidney perfusion device that can make kidneys more viable for transplantation.

Internationally,

Since 1985, Rotary’s key humanitarian priority has been to rid the world of polio. Rotary spearheaded the campaign at a time when there were over 1,000 polio cases a day in 125 countries, paralysing and even killing children. Despite there only being a handful of cases left in the world, continued campaigning, health worker training and vaccination programmes are essential to stop the disease returning and ensuring the world is certified polio-free. Please help us get rid of this terrible disease forever.

Every donation to Rotary for this project will be trebled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, so every £1 becomes £3.

We have also joined with other Rotary Clubs to fund two life changing projects in Rwanda. The first funded the installation of 135 household bio digesters for smallholder dairy farmers and is working very successfully.

The second will be helping 204 poor families in Rwanda’s impoverished Southern Province by providing them with locally-obtained goats, goat sheds, forage plants and fruit trees along with training them in small animal husbandry so they use goats and other resources to create a sustainable enterprise.

Please consider making a donation to the Rotary Club of Sidcup Benevolent Trust by clicking donate:

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Welcome to Sidcup Rotary Club

Welcome to Sidcup Rotary Club

A message from President Martin Low