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North Cotswolds Rotary
We are based in the Upper Rissington Village Hall where we meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. With ten Founding Members we have grown to fifteen by the summer of 2023. Unusually for a Rotary Club we have more ladies than gentlemen, a perfect rceipe for great meetings. Not for us dinners and speeches, we major on good wine, crisps of choice and 90 minutes of lively discussion. This results in us enjoying a bargain basement subscription rate of just £15 per month. In the community we are clearly identified by our purple attire.
Established in 2019 Rotary in the Rissingtons is the new face of Rotary, small, flexible and local community focused. We are what is known as a Satellite club and attached to North Cotswold Rotary, the main Club in the area. As the name implies, we are focused on the four Rissington villages of Great, Little, Wyck and Upper which lie to the east of Bourton on the Water in Gloucestershire.
After five successful years, the club is now entering a new phase with a new team in charge. Susan Bates, a very experienced Rotarian, has taken the Chair succeeding Andrew, a founder member. Jumping into the Vice Chair is Atsuhiko Oikawa, fondly known as Atsu! Already we are seeing a difference as new projects are taken on board.
We are based in the Upper Rissington Village Hall where we meet on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month. We are a Club of sixteen enthusiastic members with more girls than boys which is a recipe for great meetings. Not for us dinners and speeches, we major on good wine, crisps of choice and 90 minutes of lively discussion. This results in us enjoying a bargain basement subscription rate of just £15 per month. In the community we are clearly identified by our purple attire.
Our strap line is “Helping our Community” and that is what we do. From building sand pits and an allotment for the local Primary School, to providing financial support to local charities, to providing laptops to those who need them. We have an international flavour in that we work with “Tools for Self-Reliance” collecting hand tools for Tanzania and through Atsu we are forging relationships with Sendai Rotary Club in Japan. We support the Rotary International “Purple 4 Polio” initiative eradicating polio throughout the world. We raise the funds to support our work through providing “tea and cakes” at Chastleton House, running community events such as Treasure Hunts and Quiz Nights and through seeking grant funding. This is just a taste of the work we do.
Our 2024 major project has been the establishment of a Wellness Allotment in Upper Rissington. Here we have provided a haven for local people who are facing personal challenges of all kinds. From a bare piece of land in January, in August we have created an infrastructure of raised and ground beds being enthusiastically used by a cadre of allotmenteers. This year we have also begun investing in Lend with Care, an international initiative to crowd fund micro businesses. We have already seen encouraging returns.
On the personal side, the members enjoying relaxing social events away from “work” and their achievements have been recognised by Rotary through the presentation of prestigious awards.
If what you read floats your boat or you would like to talk about the work we do, then please give us a call on 07918 163960 or e-mail to ritrinfo@gmail.com. If you fancy a glass of wine or something else, come and join the discussion at the Upper Rissington Village Hall on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 7.30pm.
You will get a warm welcome if you join us. Go to our Facebook Page or complete the contact form mentioning 'Rotary in the Rissingtons'