Blackmore Vale Rotary

04/09/2026

💡 Did you know where the name Rotary came from?

When Rotary began, members would rotate their meetings between each other’s offices — and the name stuck!

More than a century later, Rotary has grown into a worldwide network of people who bring their skills, experience and enthusiasm together to make a difference.

The wheel may be our symbol, but it’s the people who keep Rotary moving.

Here at Blackmore Vale Rotary, we’re continuing that tradition in Wincanton and the surrounding villages — bringing people together, building friendships and turning ideas into action.

Perhaps Rotary isn’t quite what you thought it was?

Follow our series and discover a little more about the organisation behind the wheel.

02/09/2026

We thought we’d hop on this trend because, well… turns out Rotary International is kinda chic. ✨

Matching shirts. Iconic pins. Weekend plans that actually make a difference. And friends everywhere you go.

Service, friendship, purpose?
Wait… it’s kinda chic. 💙💛

31/08/2026

30/08/2026

💜 SEPTEMBER WITH BLACKMORE VALE ROTARY

What does being a Rotarian actually look like?

For us at Blackmore Vale Rotary, it certainly isn’t just sitting in meetings.

September is a great example of what our club is all about — friendship, volunteering, supporting others and having some fun along the way.

🎳 We start the month with Killer Skittles, enjoying fellowship and a little friendly competition with other local Rotary clubs.

💧 From 18–21 September, members will be getting involved with the Great UK WaterBlitz, helping with one of the UK’s biggest citizen-science freshwater surveys and doing our bit for the environment.

🎪 On 26 September, we’ll be volunteering behind the scenes, helping to run the Race Night for Shepton Mallet Carnival Committee — because Rotary is also about supporting the fantastic work already happening around us.

🎯 Then on 30 September, it’s our own Charity Retro Pub Games Night — bringing local businesses, community groups, friends and Rotarians together for an evening of old-fashioned fun while raising money to help us make a difference.

And in between? We’ll be planning projects, meeting people, developing ideas and looking for new ways to support Wincanton and the surrounding villages.

That’s what I love about Rotary. There isn’t just one way to get involved.

You can volunteer for a couple of hours, join us socially, enter a team, support a project, become a partner or sponsor, or become a member.

You don’t need to have lots of spare time. You just need the desire to do something positive.

💜 Come and be part of it.

📧 [email protected]
🌐 www.blackmorevalerotary.org.uk

Which September activity would you most like to join us for?

28/08/2026

The Rotary Paradox: We Accidentally Built a Peace Machine

Rotary might be the most successful peace organization nobody realizes is a peace organization.

Not because we hide it. Because we've been too busy doing to notice we're being something else entirely.

August 2026. Our President, Olayinka H. Babalola, just reminded us that a water project by itself doesn't build peace—but one designed with the Eight Pillars of Positive Peace in mind? That's a foundation.

This year alone: $9.9 million to vaccinate 27 million kids in Pakistan. Total polio investment: $3 billion. Wild cases in 2026? Just 9.

And our 8th Peace Centre just opened in India. An 9th is on the way. Fully funded. 40 fellows per cohort.

But here's the mind-bender: we didn't set out to build peace. We set out to kill a virus. Peace was the side effect. The byproduct of a bunch of engineers, bankers, and retired teachers who just really wanted to stick it to polio.

Dolly Parton (RIP, August 25) said it best in her 2010 Rotary interview: "I never pay attention to what people are; I focus on who they are."

That's our whole secret. We don't care about your flag or your politics. We care if you'll show up Saturday morning with a shovel.

The genius of boring effectiveness: No dramatic manifestos. No fiery protests. Just... doing things. Systematically. For decades.

In Hyderabad this month, 107 clubs committed to strengthening neonatal care, improving English education, and restoring 2,000 acres of forest. That's not a press release. That's a to-do list for changing the world.

The paradox: We built peace by accident—by focusing on polio, water, literacy, malaria. By being relentlessly, unglamorously useful.

Yinka Babalola's theme: "Create Lasting Impact." But what he's really saying: Stop thinking about what you're doing. Start thinking about what you're leaving behind.

A well ends. Peace doesn't. A vaccine ends. Health doesn't.

Rotary figured out that the most lasting impact isn't a project—it's a pattern. A habit of showing up. A refusal to accept that the world can't be better.

That's not just service. That's infrastructure for human decency.

And we built it by accident. Or maybe—just maybe—it was never an accident at all.

Maybe the genius is that we made building peace look so much like building wells that nobody noticed we were doing both at once.

August 2026. Create lasting impact. Peace doesn't happen by accident.

Unless, of course, you're Rotary. Then it kind of does.

Feeling inspired? Share this with a fellow Rotarian. And then go build something that accidentally changes the world.

26/08/2026

Grow as a Leader

Leadership Isn’t About Titles

Rotary gives people the confidence to try something new.

Lead a project.
Organise an event.
Chair a meeting.
Speak in public.
Mentor someone.
Develop new skills.

Many people discover talents they never knew they had simply because someone believed in them.

Leadership isn’t reserved for a few—it’s something anyone can develop.

🌐 www.blackmorevalerotary.org.uk

25/08/2026

Wow, that really is a wonderful Rotary connection! And yes — improving reading and literacy was the common denominator. 📚❤️

Dolly Parton received a Paul Harris award our highest recognition from Rotary for her contribution to literacy through the Imagination Library, which has helped put millions of books into the hands of children. It is such a lovely example of how one person’s passion can align so closely with Rotary’s commitment to education and helping young people reach their potential.

There is something quite powerful in that connection:

Dolly Parton wanted children to have books. Rotary wants children to have opportunities. Together, the common denominator is literacy.

And it makes me think of the work Blackmore Vale Rotary is doing with Books4Home too and our Purple drop off boxes popping up around Wincanton for collecting good quality children’s books. Sometimes the biggest impact starts with something incredibly simple — making sure a child has a book to take home, keep, and enjoy. 📖

We will certainly miss Dolly, our thoughts go out to here family and friends.

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. ❤️

24/08/2026

🌟 10 Ways to Engage Your Rotary Club Members

With Practical Examples:

A successful Rotary Club is not one where members simply attend meetings, but one where members participate, contribute, enjoy fellowship, and feel a sense of ownership.

1️⃣ Make Meetings Meaningful

- Meetings should be interesting,

interactive, useful and enjoyable—not

just a series of reports.

Example: A 50-minute meeting

5 min – Rotary Thought

10 min – “My Rotary Journey” by a member

15 min – Group discussion on a service project

10 min – Fun game or Rotary Quiz

10 min – Action points and announcements

👉 Goal: Every member should have an opportunity to participate.

2️⃣ Support Meaningful Projects

- Choose service projects based on the

interests and passions of your members,

not only on what the leadership decides.

Example:

Ask members:

- “Which area of service would you like our

club to focus on this year?”

Options:

📚 Education

🌱 Environment

❤️ Healthcare

👶 Children

👴 Senior citizens

💡 Skill development

If education receives the most support, the club could adopt a school and conduct a “Back to School” educational support project.

👉 When members choose the project, they are more likely to participate in it.

3️⃣ Celebrate Achievements

- Recognize and appreciate members for

both small and major achievements.

Examples:

🏆 Member of the Month

🌟 Outstanding Service Award

🤝 Best Project Coordinator

👏 Best New Member

🌱 Membership Champion

For example, if a member successfully brings in several new members, recognize them publicly as:

“Membership Champion of the Month.”

👉 Recognition creates motivation.

4️⃣ Inspire Purpose & Connection

- Help members discover their personal

“WHY” for being a Rotarian.

Example:

During a meeting, ask three members:

“Why did you join Rotary?”

One may say:

“I wanted to serve society.”

“I wanted to build friendships.”

“I wanted to make a difference in people's lives.”

This helps the club understand members' interests and assign them roles that match their motivation.

👉 People become more committed when they connect with a purpose.

5️⃣ Empower Through Ownership

- Don't just ask members to attend. Give

them roles, responsibilities and

ownership.

Example: Tree Planting Project

Different members can take responsibility for:

🌱 Plants and materials

🏫 Coordination with the school

🚐 Transportation

📸 Photography and video

📢 Publicity and social media

👥 Volunteer coordination

Instead of saying:

“Please attend our project.”

Say:

“You are responsible for coordinating the school for this project.”

👉 Responsibility creates ownership; ownership creates engagement.

6️⃣ Strengthen Member Relationships

Members who know and understand each other well are more likely to participate actively.

Example: “Know Your Rotarian” – 5 Minutes

At every meeting, invite one member to briefly share:

Family

Profession

Hobbies

Life experience

Why they joined Rotary

Memorable Rotary experience

This helps members discover common interests.

👉 Club Members → Rotary Family

7️⃣ Communicate with Purpose

- Communication should be short, clear,

timely and engaging.

Example – WhatsApp Update:

📢 THIS WEEK'S ROTARY ACTIVITY

🌱 Tree Plantation Project

📅 Sunday

⏰ 7:00 AM

📍 Government School Campus

🙋‍♂️ Members who wish to participate, please reply “YES.”

Instead of sending long messages, give members information that helps them understand and take action.

👉 Good communication leads to better participation.

8️⃣ Nurture Fellowship & Fun

- Rotary is not only about Service; it is also

about Fellowship and Friendship.

Examples of fun activities:

🎯 Guess the Rotarian

🤔 Two Truths & One Lie

🧠 Rotary Quiz

🎭 Dumb Charades

🎵 Antakshari

🎂 Birthday Celebrations

💍 Wedding Anniversary Celebrations

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Fellowship

👉 Members who enjoy being together will want to stay connected.

9️⃣ Track Impact & Share Stories

- Don't simply say:

“We distributed educational materials to 100 students.”

Show the difference the project made.

Example:

“Our club provided educational materials to 100 students. One student's parent personally thanked our members and shared how the support helped the child continue their education.”

Share: 📸 Photos

🎥 Short videos

❤️ Beneficiary stories

📊 Project results

👉 Members should feel:

“Our Rotary service is making a real difference.”

🔟 Grow Together Every Year

- Encourage every member to try at least

ONE new thing every year.

Examples:

A member who normally only attends meetings can: ➡️ Take responsibility for a service project.

A member who participates in projects can: ➡️ Conduct a Rotary presentation.

A member who has never spoken at a meeting can: ➡️ Give a 5-minute Rotary Talk.

A member who enjoys fellowship can: ➡️ Organize a Fellowship event.

👉 “One Member – One New Experience –

Every Year.”

🌟 The Rotary Engagement Formula

Meaningful Meetings

➕ Meaningful Projects

➕ Recognition

➕ Purpose

➕ Responsibility

➕ Friendship

➕ Communication

➕ Fun

➕ Impact Sharing

➕ Continuous Growth

❤️ The Ultimate Goal

“Members should not come to Rotary meetings simply because they are expected to attend. They should come because they feel that Rotary has a place for them, a purpose for them, and an opportunity for them to make a difference.”

🌱 CREATE LASTING IMPACT

Service Above Self • Together We Can • Together We Will

Membership increases numbers.

Engagement gives those numbers life.

21/08/2026

Rotary is more than meetings. It’s people, friendship and making a difference. 💙💛

Here in Blackmore Vale, we’re proud to be part of a Rotary club that puts Service Above Self into action across Wincanton and the surrounding villages.

From supporting local charities and community projects, to fundraising, volunteering, helping young people and supporting Rotary’s international causes — we’re people of action, right here in our community.

And yes, there’s friendship, laughter and plenty of fun along the way! 😊

You don’t have to know anything about Rotary. You don’t have to attend endless meetings. You simply need to be someone who wants to connect, contribute and make a difference.

💙 Connect with your community
💛 Care about making a difference
🌍 Create change together

Could Blackmore Vale Rotary be for you?

Come and meet us, find out what we do and see where you could make a difference.

📍 Wincanton & surrounding villages
🌐 www.blackmorevalerotary.org.uk
📧 [email protected]