Ryde Rotary Centenary: 100 Years Strong

Ryde Rotary are proudly celebrating their centenary year with a whole host of events and connecting more than ever with their local community, as Sara Whatley found out

Imagine an organisation that benefits the members, the local community, and many other people across the world as well... you have just imagined Rotary.

Started in 1905 in Chicago, a lawyer by the name of Paul Harris realised he knew a lot about his own business but very little about the businesses around him, both socially and economically. To that end he invited a group of other business owners to meet with him. Four or five gentlemen were interested and they started to meet, taking it in turns to host at their place of business or home – hence the name Rotary. They quickly realised that with their different knowledge and skills they could help their local community, giving something back to the city where they conducted their business.

They then realised that with fundraising they could help even further, and so the Rotary model was set. ‘Service Above Self’ became their moto, which still holds true today. Very quickly the idea spread to the rest of America and Canada, with Europe following suit and eventually Asia, Africa and South America. Now Rotary is worldwide, with a membership of 1.2 million through 35,000 clubs in over 200 countries.

And what of Rotary on the Isle of Wight? There are seven Rotary clubs on the Island in total, but let’s turn our attention to one of these clubs particularly, Ryde Rotary. This club is proudly entering its centenary year, and they have lots to celebrate. Ryde Rotary was established on 23 February 1925, exactly 20 years after the first club, and is the first Island club to reach this milestone and one of only about 40 clubs in the UK.

I spoke to Michael Jukes, who has been a member of Ryde Rotary for 32 years and is the Project Lead for their centenary celebrations. “I’m passionate about Rotary, about helping locally and around the world as well, it all adds up,” he told me as we spoke one chilly winter morning. “It’s surprising how little people know about Rotary,” he continued, and changing that is on their agenda for this year.

“In a nutshell, Rotary is an organisation of voluntary members who have time and skills to help those less fortunate than themselves,” explained Mike. Back when it started Rotary was a male only club and very different to what is it today. Smart suits had to be worn, a meal was part of every meeting, which was conducted with a strict agenda and structure. It was all business and very stuffy. Thankfully, they have moved away from that now and welcome women into the club; have a casual dress code; their meetings are much less formal and include activities, sometimes a meal, a bit of business but a lot more social aspects.

The opportunities for personal growth are abundant in Rotary. Benefits include personal and professional development; community involvement;
social skills; friendship; cultural awareness, and vocational services. Mike himself has been President and Secretary twice, and Treasurer three times as well. He has seen Ryde Rotary change from a suited stuffy organisation to a more welcoming and relaxed club, which is great for attracting new members and keeping current in today’s society.

“Ryde Rotary was started on 23rd February 1925,” said Mike. “Seven people set it up and within four years they had grown to 31 members. The 1980s saw the membership peak at 55; today our membership is in the mid 30s.” At its height Mike explained they had a lot of middle management types interested in the club, chaps in their 40s who would join and go through. Now, with the pressures of modern life – time restrictions, work and younger families – this group of members has been lost.

But, Mike went on to explain, “Rotary has developed a new corporate membership whereby the company is the ‘member’ and the business can send different staff members to meetings and events. The company can get involved in Rotary with less pressure on the individuals but more potential people power to help us at events.”

They certainly need all the help and support they can get this year with their full calendar of events planned, kicking off on February 22 with their internal celebration meal – a 1925 themed Gatsby Evening. This is followed by a huge fundraising collection outside Tesco Extra in Ryde the next day (February 23), which is the 100 year anniversary of receiving their charter. Everyone will be dressed in 1925 themed costumes, with banners and leaflets to attract passers-by.

Many other exciting events are planned for the rest of the year, not just with the hope of raising the profile of Ryde Rotary but also to energise the whole community and raise significant funds for local charities and good causes. “We are planning an extensive programme of events throughout 2025 for which we need major financial support,” said Mike.

Over the years Ryde Rotary have helped numerous local projects and fundraised relentlessly for community schemes. Notably, they teamed up with their French Twin Rotary Club and after a massive fundraising project bought two private ambulances to support people travelling to and from hospital.

They have also bought and serviced two minibuses for John’s Club Isle of Wight; helped to build a community playground, and another playground in St Mary’s Hospital, Newport. Over the last 20 years they have raised quarter of a million pounds for clean water projects in Africa, and thousands of pounds for polio vaccinations with each pound being matched by the Bill Gates Foundation.

Ryde Rotary proudly support Rotary Wessex Heartbeat House, a wonderful facility to accommodate people when their loved ones are undergoing heart or cardiovascular procedures at Southampton Hospital. Guests stay for free in this welcoming, home-from-home guest house and are looked after by staff and the support of other guests.

And finally, Mike told me about all the other little acts of support they give, which may seem small but can be immensely valuable to those who receive them, such as a new washing machine for a family on low income. These acts of charity directly impact the local community, a community which is the backbone of Ryde Rotary and all Rotary clubs around the world. Let’s support them in supporting us and maintaining their vital role in the community of Ryde.