The club currently has over 70 members ranging in age from 30 upwards but there is no minimum age requirement for membership. Our members come from all walks of life, but primarily will be professional people, business or community leaders. In addition, we also have a corporate membership scheme which enables local businesses to engage more effectively in their corporate responsibilities. The club engages in a number of philanthropic activities throughout the year and seeks to benefit local, national and international charities, community organisations, families and individuals. We raise and disperse in the region of £100,000 every year. 

The Youth Services Committee has always been very active in raising funds and in giving personal time to support the enormous number of groups and projects to help young people in our community.

Again this year we have supported a sailing event at Daneshill Lakes giving local schoolchildren an opportunity to try something new.

We held a Young Artist’s competition earlier this year with the theme of Nature and the entries were displayed in St. Swithun's Church.

We always try to respond positively to requests for help to give our young people a helping hand  and to encourage them in their projects.

Dave Cartwright (Chair) July 2024

The Community Services Committee focuses on how Club members might support the local community by
undertaking events, raising funds for local charities and making small grants.

One of our major themes for 2024/25 will be to support local dementia groups, hopefully, holding a fundraising
event to enable them to expand their activities.

The Committee this year have also successfully applied for a Rotary Foundation Grant which will be used as
matched funding with the proceeds from our Christmas Raffle to fund the replacement of central heating radiators at the homeless facility in Worksop, which is operated by the charity Hope Community Services, that provide services over the whole of North Nottinghamshire.

We personally get involved in everal events within Retford

Retford Charter Day -
The Club always tries to support this occasion by having a stall and organising a fund-raising opportunity to support a local charity and the Chair Rob Morrison serves on the organising committee.

Retford Christmas Market -
As with the Charter the committee will again participate with a stall but with a more festive theme. Many of our members are only too happy to dress in a variety of Christmas outfits all of which add to the occasion.

Royal British Legion -
we have been privileged to join the teams of poppy sellers at several supermarkets in town and we have also organised for several years an annual Festival of Remembrance, just like that held each year at the Albert Hall in London.

We have also been offered the chance of holding a music concert showcasing the Doncaster Youth Orchestra in
May 2025 in memory of the late Vince Hines , a longstanding Retford Rotary Club member, who worked with them over many years delivering fundraising concerts. The proceeds will be donated to Bassetlaw Foodbank.

In Spring 2025, we are also trying to organise another fashion show following the success of the event in 2024, with proceeds going to Nottinghamshire Women’s Aid.

We will also be examining how we can interact with other key stakeholders in the local community such as local
authorities, schools, voluntary sector and local charities to make more effective use of our scarce resources and make a difference for residents. 

Rob Morrison (Chair) September
2024

Rotary is an international service organisation that works to improve the quality of life for all people.

For more than a century, Rotary International has bridged cultures and connected continents. We champion peace, fight illiteracy and poverty, help people get access to clean water and sanitation, fight disease and our newest cause is to protect our planet and its resources

Retford Rotary Club has as International Committee that exists to do good in the world and promotes understanding, peace and improves the life conditions for people of all ages and cultures. To this end we have supported financially Polio Plus, through which Rotary is working to eradicate polio from the world.

We raise funds at times of international disasters and are involved in providing emergency clean water and shelter in areas when disaster strikes, through Aquabox and Shelterbox projects.

For nearly 30 years now we have been supporting young children in South Africa by providing preschool breakfasts, school books, facilities, clothing and equipment. The project is known locally as ‘The Bread Fund’ as we originally supplied bread to feed the children, although now we provide fortified porridge. The project has grown each year and we now support 16 different schools and 750 children in the KwaZulu-Natal region.

Also projects recently supported include:

• Lend with Care – which makes small loans to entrepreneurs in developing countries, and helps them work their way out of poverty.

• Supporting local youngsters as they get involved with international events

Fund-raising events have taken many forms over the years but recently we have enjoyed:

• a “Treasure Hunt” around Reford Town Centre

• Plant and flower stall to raise money for Aquabox and the Bread fund

• an “Autumnal” Brunch

• French themed evening

Mark Parker (International Chair) September 2024

A number of years ago the club was fortunate to receive a generous bequest from the family of Percy Laws, who was a founding member of The Rotary Club of Retford and a prominent local resident. Through management of this bequest the Percy Laws Management Committee receive funds from the Percy Laws Trustees that enable it to make a difference to individuals, families, groups and local organisations. This is with the aim of supporting and improving life opportunities locally.  Working reactively and proactively, assisting and giving a helping hand is central to our committee decisions.

Applications for assistance are directed to us via the club website and from other committees within the Club who require match funding. They are diverse in nature with a broad range of ages and requests.  We give careful consideration to them all. Projects and people recently assisted include:

At a community level, we are pleased to have been able to help both small groups and societies that support, inform and educate, and also various other groups that provide assistance for the service user with their health needs.

The committee also maintains links with stakeholders from larger organisations that reach out to the more vulnerable in our local community such as The Food Bank, New Roots, Hope and Women’s Aid.  Examples of recent support include:

The upgrading of facilities for the disabled in Goodwin Hall by creating a stoma friendly toilet.

The purchase of custom made tractor shaped air fresheners for the 'Bassetlaw Focus on Farmers' project to hang in tractors/vehicles. They show a QR code which contains a directory of local and national support available to farmers that may be struggling with their mental health.

A donation to All Saints Church, Eaton to enable them to upgrade their heating and lighting system in this well used community space.

A contribution to pay for 2000 brochures to publicise events at the Retford Book Festival 2025.

The Committee members feel extremely privileged to be able to uphold the philanthropic ideals that Percy Laws and his family envisaged when setting up the bequest.  Our goal is to maintain these fundamental values with each application we receive.  

Derek Turner(Chair) July 2024

Tuxford Legacy Committee

In 2010 Mr and Mrs Coddington of Tuxford made a lifetime gift to the Rotary Club of Retford. The Rotary Club of Retford Trust Fund holds the proceeds of The Mr and Mrs Coddington Trust Fund. The Tuxford Legacy Committee was set up in 2010 to administer the distribution of funds of the Mr and Mrs Coddington Trust Fund for the Rotary Club of Retford. The members of the Rotary Club of Retford must approve the disbursement from the Fund at a club business meeting. The purpose of the Fund is to assist the needy and the local community in and around Tuxford. It should cater for the needs of local organisations, support the arts and promote community spirit.

The initial expectation was for the fund to last 20 years. The effect of the financial climate over the last 12 years will probably reduce that expectation to possibly 14 years. The Tuxford Legacy Committee over the 12 years has distributed approximately £37,000 to many organisations, individuals, groups,
schools, projects in Tuxford and the local area.

Roger Stenson (Chair) July 2023