Rotary Club of Farnborough District 1145

19/10/2026

For the past few years, we have worked with local schools to give students the opportunity to take part in the Rotary Youth Leadership Award (RYLA) scheme.

This year, we funded students from All Hallows Catholic School and The Wavell School to attend a week-long outward-bound course in Surrey. At our lunch meeting last week, they came to tell us all about it.

Full of trepidation at the start of the week, they were soon making new friends and enjoying rock climbing, raft building, kayaking, archery, mountain biking and much more. As the week — which even included the solar eclipse — drew to a close, they agreed that it had opened up new horizons and given them experiences they will look back on with confidence and fondness.

After their presentation, Mary Madine, our Youth & Vocations Team Leader, presented the students with their award certificates.

Find out more about RYLA here: https://www.rotary.org/en/get-involved/youth-programs/rotary-youth-leadership-awards

Pictured: the students with their certificates and Mary Madine.

13/10/2026

It’s far too early to be talking about December — there’s Halloween to enjoy first! 🎃

That said, we’ve been busy behind the scenes with a few preparations for later in the year: plenty of painting, safety checks and general maintenance. Everything will now go back into storage until it’s needed.

In the meantime, get those pumpkins carved — and we’ll share more about our December plans next month. 👀

15/09/2026

Last weekend, club member Keith Holland — ShelterBox District Coordinator for Rotary South D1145 — supported Godalming Rotary and The Rotary Club of Godalming Woolsack at their annual Duck Race.

Pictured here, Keith (joined by Tim Dunkley) set up a full display of ShelterBox equipment, including the tent's clever internal sections that can shelter an extended family of up to 10 people.

Funds raised at the Duck Race will be shared between Cut-Out Cancer and ShelterBox — two great causes making a real difference.

14/09/2026

One part of our club life we don’t talk about enough: sport! 🎳

Last week we played the Rotary Club of Storrington & Pulborough in a friendly FINAL bowls match across our Rotary District (Surrey, Sussex and NE Hampshire) – and we won!

A big thanks to our brilliant pair, Tim Dunkley and Martin Sampson. Having a national and international bowls champion like Martin on our side certainly helped!

Great fun, great fellowship, and another reminder that Rotary is about more than meetings – it’s about friendship, fitness and friendly rivalry.

📸 Photo: opposing team (left) | Tim & Martin (right)

07/09/2026

🌍 £3,100+ raised for ShelterBox Nepal relief!

What an incredible weekend! Thanks to your generosity—and the amazing support from Rushmoor Rotary Club, the Rotary Club of Camberley, and members of the local Nepalese community—we’ve raised over £3,100 to help families affected by the Nepal disaster.

Every donation makes a real difference. If you’d still like to contribute, please visit:
🔗 https://shelterbox.org/

🙏 THANK YOU to everyone who gave, collected, or shared our appeal. Together, we’re delivering hope where it’s needed most.

05/09/2026

On Thursday we were delighted to welcome Councillor Jib Belbase, Deputy Mayor of Rushmoor, and Rushmoor Councillor Kevin Betsworth (Rowhill Ward) to our lunch meeting.

During lunch they discussed the ShelterBox collections for the Nepal disaster relief effort, which are under way today at the entrances to the Princes Mead Shopping Centre, and tomorrow at The Meadows Shopping Mall.

They were hosted by Club President Chris Harding and Keith Holland, ShelterBox District Coordinator for Rotary South D1145.

If you’d like to support the appeal, please look out for the collection points at Princes Mead and The Meadows and consider donating to help families affected by the floods in Nepal.

03/09/2026

The horrific situation in Nepal will not have escaped your notice. This weekend, Farnborough Rotary Club, supported by Rushmoor Rotary Club and the Rotary Club of Camberley—along with friends of club members and a local councillor—will be collecting donations for ShelterBox, which already has teams on the ground supporting people in the worst-affected areas. You will be able to find us on:
𝗦𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟱 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝟵𝗮𝗺–𝟰𝗽𝗺: 𝗔𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲.

𝗦𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝟲 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿, 𝟭𝟬𝗮𝗺–𝟰𝗽𝗺: 𝗔𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗖𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗲, 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 & 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿.

If you see us, please consider making a donation. Card readers will be available for those who do not have cash.

Unable to join us? You can donate online at https://shelterbox.org/. Thank you for your support.

01/09/2026

🎉 Huge congratulations to Tony Myers and his team from our club, who with Phyllis Tuckwell, Hospice Care, have achieved a remarkable milestone!
Thanks to a 3-year Rotary Global Grant project, 11 local Rotary clubs — plus support from clubs in Ireland, Japan, India and across the UK — have raised £97,551.50 to help fund equipment and furnishings for all 18 new in-patient rooms at the brand-new Hospice in Farnham. This is the Rotary spirit in action: communities coming together to make a real difference.
The new rooms will give patients the highest standard of care and provide families a peaceful, welcoming place to spend precious time together.
Special thanks go to Jenny Peat and Laura Moody at the Hospice, and our dedicated Rotary team (Tony Myers, Katy Harris, Peter Gardner, Dave Brewerton, Rod Cutler, Andrew Lloyd, Andrew Jackson and Annemarie van Bochove Allen) whose hard work made this happen.
Here’s to the next chapter of compassionate care at Phyllis Tuckwell! 💛

26/08/2026

We wouldn’t normally post twice on the same day, but this from Rotary District 7070 in Canada needs to be shared. Dolly and Rotary working together.

What a sad day today.

The world has lost an extraordinary entertainer, philanthropist and genuinely remarkable human being with the passing of Dolly Parton.

Most people will remember Dolly for the music, the rhinestones, the humour and that unmistakable voice. But for millions of children and families around the world, her greatest legacy may well be something much quieter, a book arriving in the mail. 📚❤️

Dolly founded the Imagination Library in 1995, inspired in part by her father, who never had the opportunity to learn to read and write. The idea was beautifully simple: give children free, age-appropriate books from birth until the age of five and help create a lifelong love of reading.

And that is where Dolly's story became intertwined with Rotary International

Since 2009, Rotary clubs have worked alongside Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to help bring books into the homes and hands of children in communities around the world.

It was a partnership that made perfect sense.

Literacy. Education. Opportunity. Community.

The very things Rotary members have championed for generations.

For me, Dolly's passing also brings back a very special Rotary memory.

I first saw Dolly in person at the Rotary International Convention in Montréal, Canada, in 2010.

I remember sitting there thinking just how impressive she was. Yes, she was a superstar, one of the most recognisable entertainers on the planet, but what struck me was the person behind all of that.

She was warm, authentic and incredibly passionate about giving children opportunities through literacy. She was also incredibly funny! I remember when Past RI President John Germ presented her with a Paul Harris Fellow and was awkwardly struggling to decide if he should put the lapel pin on her dress. She said "Oh just pin it on honey, it might be the 1st thing people notice for a change" 🤣

But Dolly understood something that I think sits right at the heart of Rotary:

You can use whatever platform you have to make somebody else's life a little better.

She certainly did that!

Her songs will continue to be played. Her movies will continue to make us smile. Her unmistakable image will remain part of popular culture.

But somewhere, a child will open a book because of an idea Dolly Parton had more than 30 years ago.

And perhaps that child will discover a love of reading, dream a little bigger and see possibilities they hadn't seen before.

Now THAT is a legacy that is working much longer than 9 to 5!

Thank you for the music, the laughter, the books and, most importantly, for showing the world that kindness and generosity never go out of style.

Rest peacefully, Dolly. 🌸📚🎶

We will always love you. ❤️

26/08/2026

Last Monday, Rushmoor Borough Council hosted Ukrainian Independence Day celebrations at St Peter’s School in Church Avenue. We were proud to support the event by providing, erecting, and later removing a marquee, several gazebos, and the tables and chairs used throughout the afternoon.

Yes, this post looks a bit like our last one—but there’s much more to us than marquees! Our earlier posts show the wide range of projects and community work we get involved in.

If you’d like to find out more—and think you might enjoy joining us—why not register your interest here:
https://rotary-ribi.org/clubs/membershipenquiry.php?ClubID=877
We’d love to meet you! All are welcome.