Rotary is a world-wide organisation whose purpose is to help those in need, to encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and to work for goodwill and peace in the world.  It provides a service to the community at local, national and international levels and has more than a million members world-wide in 186 countries.
It operates the biggest non-governmental scholarship scheme in the world and gives more than 25 million pounds every year to educational and humanitarian programmes which promote international understanding. The membership of each club is drawn from the business and professional life of the community in which it is situated.

Rotary began in 1905 in Chicago USA when Paul Harris formed the first club.  The idea flourished and soon there were clubs throughout America.  Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland dates back to 1911 when the first club outside North America was formed in Dublin, to be followed by London later that same year. There are now over 31,000 clubs world wide.


The Object of Rotary
The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster:
1. The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service;
2. High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations, and the
    dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society;
3. The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal,business and community life;   
 4. The advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional
    persons united in the ideal of service.