Latest News about our activities

The Rotary Club of Sandwich

Latest News

February 2025

Easty's Young People's Club

On the 19th February RT Paul Harris and PP Roger Bailey were invited to attend Eastry's Young Peoples Club to join the celebration by committee and members to thank their supporters. Rotary was thanked for the £200 donation that we had given them to fund a new dartboard set up and accessories. The chair of the club stated on facebook "Our new dart set up was able to be purchased because of the kind donation we received from Sandwich Rotary Club. It is used every session we run, providing competitive and social interaction between members and volunteers. Mental arithmetic is now enjoyable and very necessary along with focus, concentration and hand eye coordination. we love it! Thank You"

Sandwich Junior School

RT Paul Harris and RT Jeff Franklin visited Sandwich Junior School present games and educational items bought with our £200 donation to the schools breakfast club. Comment from the PTFA chair Jo "The kids were so grateful for all the lovely items the Rotary Club has bought them and I cannot thank you all enough for your generosity."

Bat Boxes

We had a very busy evening on Tuesday which was Scout orientated as well as the talks on Jamborees and Zanzibar we had our first look at the Bat Boxes that are being built by the scouts. . Leader Anthony Goodbun showed us the boxes and explained how they are made and what is planned. The boxes will be installed around Sandwich to try and reduce the Mosquito population. There are lots of research as to how many a bat can eat in a night but they can certainly feed on the local mosquitos.
One interesting point is that if you install one of these bat boxes then it will be very difficult to be able to move it. So it is very important that the sites for the boxes are well chosen.

Scout Jamboree in Korea and visit to Zanzibar

Below is a copy of the report following the visit by 2 local scouts to Zanzibar. Oliver Bennett and Nicholas Cram who went with other scouts to help at a school in Zanzibar. They refurbished a building to make a library for the school. They also helped out with lessons and sporting events. They presented a slide show to members to illustrate what they were doing. During their visit they suffered defeat by the local school football team much to their embarrassment.
They also spoke about the last Scout Jamboree they attended in Korea and above is a couple of badges made by Kent scouts and exchanged with scouts from other countries. They both gave an interesting talk and slideshow on the event.

Jamboree in Poland 2026

Sorcha Sampson gave a presentation to the club recently to let us know about her trip next year to the Scout Jamboree in Poland. She has been busily fundraising top pay for the trip and we were glad to donate£100 to help. It was interesting to learn about a scout jamboree and what goes on. We all wish Sorcha well in her fund raising and for the jamboree next year. She has promised to come back next year and report back.

December 2024

Christmas Dinner 2024

The club met at Princes Golf Club for the annual Christmas dinner and party. Rotarians were joined by, friends and honorary members. We were also joined by members of our contact clubs in Bocholt and Armentieres.

The Christmas dinner was a good opportunity to present our newest Paul Harris Fellowship award to PP Ray Stephens. This is the highest award that rotary can bestow upon its members. The presentation was made by PP Derek Smith.

Sandwich Infants School

Sandwich Infants School were presented with a cheque for £5,000 on Tuesday 3rd December 2024. The cheque was presented by President Sean Doherty and the guests were welcomed by Lester Thompson. Receiving the cheque on behalf of the school was Head Teacher Leanne Bennett and the assistant head Joanna Russell. They both then went on to give a presentation to the club to explain how the school works and how it is staffed and the main challenges they face. It was clear that the school survives through the dedication and the extra effort put in by the staff and volunteers. They also mentioned the wraparound service they supply with a breakfast club and after school club. They in common with other schools are facing a dropping number of new children to the school due to the decrease in the birth rate in the UK. This has meant that they now have 1 less class than they have had in the past. The talk was very well received by members with lots of interesting question.

Movember

The Month of November saw several members growing, or in some cases trying to grow a moustache. They are raising money for Prostate Cancer. They have raised £1,365 by being sponsored to grow a moustache. We had a small competition on this final night for the best moustache. The winner who was whiskers ahead of the completion was Jason Rogers the assistant manager at the coop. As you can see from the pictures his moustache extended down his face and was very impressive. All will be happy now to shave off their moustaches. This will be particularly welcome by their partners.

Standing: Chris Hart, Derek Parker, Ray Stephens, Andy Dale, Richard Daw, Jason Rogers, Paul Harris and John Kingsland, sitting Ian Fright.

November 2024

New Members

Tuesday the 19th November 2024 and the club inducted 2 new members. Nick Lane was inducted as a full member of the club. The other new member was Sharon Kemp who was inducted as an Associate Member.

Sharon Kemp

Commuinity Award

Fire Fighter John Gator was presented with the Rotary Club of Sandwich Community Award. on Tuesday 19th November 2024 ay the Bell in Sandwich. This recognised the work that the Fire Brigade do for Sandwich. This includes helping older people in the town with things such as smoke alarms. The award was presented by John Kingsland and President Sean Doherty.

John Gator talking to members.

Remembrance Sunday

The annual remembrance Sunday reef laying in Sandwich was attended by a large crowd and included the local MP Roger Gayle. The rector from St Clements lead the service. Reefs were laid by local organisations including ourselves. Chris Hart from The Rotary Club of Sandwich laid a reef on behalf of the club.

October 2024

Movember

We at Sandwich Rotary are great believers of supporting Men's health and well being. We believe this is an easy way to take part and inspire others to do the same in growing a Mo for Movember, raising much needed funds and awareness for men's Health

Movember fundraisers are a global community of fired up Mo Bros and Mo Sisters - aka rock stars making a difference in mental health and suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer. Your donation could help save a father, a brother, a son, a friend, a partner, a man's life.

New Members

Tuesday the 22nd October 2024 at the Bell in Sandwich was the evening we welcomed 2 new members to the Club. Patricia and Clive Knight were inducted by club president Sean Doherty.

September 2024

Hope for Tomorrow Presentaion

The presentation took place on the 3rd of September 2024 of a cheque for £5,000 to Hope for Tomorrow. Bryan and Claire were there to receive the cheque. Bryan who is a driver for the unit that goes to Folkestone, Dover and Herne Bay gave a brief talk on the Charity. The charity was one of past President Ray Stephens chosen charities.

August 2024

Duck Race Winners

This year we launched 7,000 ducks into the Stour to race to the Toll Bridge. This is a 500 increase over last year. We will be announcing soon, the total amount raised which will include the money raised from the Corporate race..
The winners are:

1st Prize Alistair Sim
2nd Prize M Jones
3rd Prize Julian Symour
4th Prize Troy
5th Prize Chris Hodge

Corporate Prize Techway Solutions

Thanks to all our Sponsors and all that supported us by buying Ducks.

Defibrillator

We have now installed the Defibrillator at Malcom Waits Petrol station in Sandwich. Our thanks go to Malcolm and his team for supporting the initiative and to Wyman's for carrying out the installation for us. It is proposed that there will be an opportunity to formally commission the new defibrillator in the near future and details will be announced.

The annual Duck Race at Sandwich on Monday 26th August 2024

The P22 is read to host the music and announcements for the 2024 Duck Race.

Duck Race tickets at a £1 a time are on sale around the town.

July 2024

Presidents Handover

The Presidents handover took place last night at the Bell in Sandwich. Ray Stephens the outgoing President handed over the mantle to Sean Doherty for the new Rotary year starting on the 1st January 2024.

June 2024

SNAAP

Members from the club recently visited SNAAP in Herne Bay to present them with a cheque for £5,000. SNAAP was formed in 2003 by a group of parents who wanted to make a difference for their children. They realised they were not alone and that there was a lack of support and information as well as limited leisure opportunities. It is a private company limited by guarantee and they y are also a registered charity. They are entirely dependant on grants and donations raised through their various fund raising activities.

Presentaion of Cheque to the St Clements Bee project

President Ray Stephens and Past President Mick Burr presented a cheque for £225 to Barry Brookes and Rector, Father Sebastian Hamilton. The funds will enable the Apiary site at St Clements Church garden to accommodate yet another colony of Bees.

Before the presentation Barry Brookes and Paul Garfield gave a very informative talk regarding the upkeep and the importance of safeguarding the bees in our local environment.

The presentation took place on Wednesday 29th May 2024. Thanks to an Environmental grant funded by Rotary International through District 1120 and Rotary Club of Sandwich.

Ladies Afternoon May 2024

This was our annual Ladies afternoon/evening for our President and his wife. It was held at Richard Daws house on Sandwich bay. The weather was indifferent but did not spoil or enjoyment. A hog roast was provided along with an excellent table magician.

March 2024

The crocuses in the churchyard

Its nice to see the crocuses that The Rotary Club of Sandwich planted now coming up and looking so lovely iat St Clements Church.

Chicago at the Empire, Sandwich

There are some Tickets still available for the above. Please contact Geoffrey details above if you are interested in attending

The lovely Rotary rose garden

Rotary members re planting the rose gardening in Sandwich. In the picture are Mick Burr and Chris Pratt.

December 2023

Our Second Associate Member

Andy Wallis is presented with his badge and polo shirt as our second associate member by President Elect Sean Doherty. This was at our meeting on the 19th December 2023.

Rotary Annual Christmas Dinner

Friday the 8th December was the date for the annual Christmas Dinner. This was held at the The Bell Hotel, Sandwich. The eking included a Skit by members of the Sandwich rotary and music from Pauline. The 130 club provided some winners and there was an amazing raffle that raised more money.

The Pearly Kings including our club presidant and a young lady who was keen to join in and distribute sweets.

Our singer for the night Pauline in full flow.

Past president Andy Dale takes the mike to show us the way to Amarillo.

November 2023

First Collection by TWAM

Our first van load of tools has been collected by TWAM. These are now on their way to be refurbrished and then sent to Africa by this charity that we are working with.

Rotary Clock Repair

After 5 years Club members set to work on correcting the time of the Rotary clock, which over the past four months had lost its way somewhat.

Thanks to the generosity off a contractor working for the Bell Hotel our members were able to access the clock using mobile elevated platform to carry out necessary repair and servicing.

Local horologist and past president Derek Smith was dragged out of retirement to over see the works ensuring that the clock is once again keeping time for the people of Sandwich.

Standing as proud as it always has the Rotary Clock in its full splendour marks its time once again. The Rotary Club of Sandwich would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Sandwich and the general public for their continued support.

Our First Associate Member

October 2023

24th October and A Vist to Kent Renewables

Colin Dobson his team and our Rotary Members.

Thursday October 17th Wine and Cheese at Age Concern

Wine and cheese evening at Sandwich Age Concern centre which raised over £300 for age concern.

September 2023

Hope For Tomorrow Donation

We have donated £10,000 to charity Hope for Tomorrow to support local cancer patients. Hope for Tomorrow helps East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust by providing mobile cancer care units so that it can provide cancer treatment closer to where patients live.

The trust has had a mobile cancer care unit since 2012. It was named Caron, after Gloria Hunniford’s late daughter Caron Keating, who died from breast cancer in 2004. Last year, a new, upgraded Caron unit was launched to replace the original, after 10 years of successful service. Since their introduction, the mobile cancer care units have provided over 16,500 treatments to cancer patients in the East Kent area.
The donation from the Rotary Club will fund the vehicle for four years and also provide an onboard printer on the unit.

Christine Rushforth Hope for Tomorrow's Community Fundraising Manager said "We're very grateful to the rotary Club for their wonderful donation, which will make a big difference to cancer patients in the area. The unit and car allow the nursing teams to deliver treatment to patients in Sheraton, Dover and Herne Bay saving them long trips to Kent and Canterbury Hospital. It makes a difficult time for patients that much easier with 7-% of patients saying they can tolerate their treatment more easily on a mobile cancer care unit and 50% that they were more likely to complete their full course of treatment."

Ray Stephens President of the Rotary Club of Sandwich said "Having had friends and colleagues that have been touched by cancer, its is good that there is a system that can alleviate the stresses and worry of travelling and hospital appointments at such a difficult tome. We are lucky to have Caron and the Hope for Tomorrow unit in Kent"

The donation is as a result of a project between the Rotary Clubs of Sandwich, Armentiere in France, Renaix in Belgium and Bocholt in Germany in2022.

TWAM Donation of uwanted tools

As of Saturday the 16th September 2023 we will be collecting unwanted tools to be refurbished and sent to Africa. This is being done through an organisation called TWAM. Please bring any unwanted tools you would like to donate to the Rotary Hub, Strand Street, Sandwich Kent.

August 2023

Duck Race 2023 Report of the 19th year.

160 Corporate Ducks followed by 6500 quid a quack Ducks were released to fight their way to the finish line. Hundreds of Duck owners watched on and cheered in hope of being a winner.
Thanks to fantastic weather and hundreds of crazy duck owners, plus a handful of cranky Rotarians the event was a great success. Of course we could not forget our sponsers and corporate Duck owners, who year after year continue to support this nostalgic event the list is endless.

The Ducks ready to be released.

Waiting expectantly for the race to start.

Rotarians on the water collecting the ducks after the race. We are proud that we collect all the Ducks we use.

Commentary and music supplied by Sandwich Internet Radio.

The race is about to start.

The Ducks are on their way.
Photographs by Darren Jenner

Money raised this year in the region of £10,500 is going to support the these charities.

Duck Race 28th August 2023

The annual Duck race takes place on Monday 28th August 2023 at the quay in Sandwich. Ducks will be launched from the Toll Bridge. Tickets are on sale on the day and at various times around Sandwich. Last year we retrieved all ducks that were put in to the water and this year we endeavour to do the same.

July 2023

Growing Up

Tuesday the 25th July saw a presentation by grow up from Discovery park. This was all received by the club and guests who want away with samples of the leaves and rocket they are growing. https://growupfarms.co.uk
This is an amazing story and is at the start of what looks like a successful journey to provide food grown all the year round in the UK without the cost and environmental impact of importing. They ate now available in Iceland and Tesco.

The King and Queen

The club has received a thank you note from the King and Queen.

February 2023

Thanet Earth

Tuesday 28th and we had an excellent talk by Thanet Earth explaining what they do and how they help the environment with the planting of wildflowers around the site and providing home for birds and other wildlife. It was interesting to hear about the trials and tribulations of growing salad plants.

Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria

We are sure that like the majority of our local community you are shocked by the images broadcast on our TV and Social Media Screens in the past two weeks.
Rotary clubs work closely with "Shelter Box" an organisation dedicated to providing essential shelter and emergency equipment to disaster areas around the globe including the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
Our Rotary club together with others in our district and around the world have been actively raising funds on behalf of Shelter Box who have already provided much need equipment to the stricken areas. The following Link will take you to a short video from the support on the ground from Shelter Box. https://youtu.be/OhX4k3UOWaE
In the last week the Rotary Club of Sandwich has released the sum of £590 to support the purchase of another Shelter Box to add to the many needed, but much more still needs to be done in order to provide further support.
The Club will opening the Community Hub in Strand Street Sandwich CT13 9DZ where we will have a Shelter Box display with more information about how you can help with much needed funds. We guarantee that 100% of the money raised will go to the charities we work with.
Please come along to the Hub and pledge your support. We will be open tomorrow Thursday 23rd February 10am to 1pm and agin on Friday and Saturday 24th and 25th Feb same times.
Thank you in anticipation of your support.

January 2023

Visit to St Lucia Rotary Club

Rotarians PP Richard Daw and PP Derek Smith joining the St Lucia Rotary club for their meeting.

December 2022

Age Concern Christmas lunch

A big thank you to all those Club members who supported the Sandwich Age Concern Christmas lunch. It all started the day before with seven members peeling vegetables for about 170 people at the Age Concern Centre. The team cracked it within a couple of hours!

On the day, the motley crew you see below did a sterling job of serving and collecting at the tables. The food was served hot despite the large number of attendees, a testament to the speed and efficiency of the team! On the day, everyone entered the spirit of the lunch by wearing suitable attire.

PP Derek Smith did a great job as compère at the lunch. The biggest applause was for his restrained suite. Where did you get that one from Derek?

November 2022

Remembrance Sunday

PP Chris Hart laying the rotary reef at the Sandwich remembrance ceremony.

October 2022

September 2022

The Stonelees Golf Day

The presentation of prizes for the Duck Race.

August 2022

2022 Duck Race Results

The presentation of prizes for the Duck Race

The Rotary Club of Sandwich would like to thank everybody for your support in buying Duck Race Tickets. We now have permission from the winners to publish their names on social media. We are required to follow the GDPR (General Datas Protection Regulations) and obtain permission before publishing. This might have been frustrating for anybody that did not attend the event or left before the winners were named. We apologise for this delay but is not something we had control over. The winners are as follows:

1 Will Daw £500
2 Angela Batchelor £250 voucher Techway Solutions
3 Ray Clarke £250 voucher Locks of Sandwich
4 Simon Brown £50 voucher Hercules Wine Warehouse
5 Mr J Libby £25 voucher Carpenters

Corporate Winner C.J. Bean & Sons 6 Bottles of champagne CO-OP corporate prize.

The three charities that we are supporting are:
"Hope for Tomorrow"
"Age Concern Sandwich"
"SNAAP"

Thank you for your support of these worth causes.

Thank You from Ukranian Family

A most welcome present at Tuesdays meeting, from a Ukrainian family who The Sandwich Rotary Club had helped.

Rotary is a global network of neighbours, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers uniting together to help tackle the world’s biggest issues and challenges.
Peace is a cornerstone of our global mission. We are standing with and supporting the people of Ukraine with their humanitarian needs.
The 1,600 groups of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland have already rallied to raise £4 million in funds, relief equipment and supplies to be used in the region.
Our groups are in direct contact with Rotary in Ukraine, Poland and Moldavia to ensure urgent needs are met and delivered.

July 2022

It is that time of year and the Duck Race is almost on us. Tickets will be on sale from the 6th August onwards. It is the 50s weekend on the 5th and 6th of August and we will be in the town selling tickets. So look out for the rotary club ticket sellers. We will be at various locations such as outside St Clements Church, the Quay, The Guildhall and the Coop.

The District details have been announced for 21st to 23rd October 2022 at Eastbourne.

Competition for the Queens Garden Party

The 2nd July was the date of the annual Presidents Garden Party. This year it was the turn of Steve Ruston the outgoing president to host the party. We were blessed with absolutely fabulous weather and it was a great afternoon.

June 2022

Schools Out

The village hall at Staple was the venue for the annual Sandwich Rotary club presidents throw out. It is a tradition with the club to arrange a themed night to ceremonial throw out the existing president. A vintage double decker bus was organised to take members from the hall to the Quay at Sandwich and back. This year it was Steve Ruston's term to be surprised on the night. The existing president is totally unaware of what is arranged and the event is based on the presidents past work experience or strong interests or hobby. As Steve comes form the Education sector it was decided that school would be the theme.
All members and partners were asked to dress in a school theme with school dinners being provided by Nick and Dawn Bushell with help in serving the food from Alan Weston. The rotary quiz between Steve and past president Derek Smith provided some light entertainment for all. The evening ended with rotarians pelting the outgoing President with wet sponges.

Helping the SNAAP Festibility day 21st June 2022

Sandwich Rotary club were on hand to provide assistance to one of its nominated charities. The Charity were running an event at Quex Park and who better to look after the traffic marshalling than Sandwich Rotary. The picture shows the rotarians equipped with their high vis vests and ready for action.

Environmental Help for School

Sandwich Rotary club recently received a request and a presentation from Sir Roger Manwood's School in relation to an energy saving scheme. They have set up a project to cover the sports hall roof with solar panels thus cutting down their use of electricity and thus carbon footprint. Sandwich rotary are only to glad to help with Environmental projects as part of our drive to reduce carbon footprint and for an improved environment. A grant was made to the school of £1,000 towards the project. The project we understand has now reached its fundraising target and will go ahead. We have received a couple of thank you letters for the school.

Award of the Paul Harris Fellow to two Sandwich Rotarians.

It was an auspicious occasion at the Sandwich Rotary Club Business meeting on the 14th June 2022. The Paul Harris Fellow was awarded to 2 past presidents who also happen to be brothers, Andy and Barry Dale received their awards presented by the club president Steve Ruston.

Sandwich Rotary are no mugs about the Jubilee

As part of Sandwich Rotary clubs celebration of the Queens Platinum Jubilee aluminium water bottles were sourced with the rotary logo and commemorative markings. These bottles were given out to local primary schools.

Sandwich Rotary set the Benchmark for Platinum Jubilee

At 10am on Saturday the 4th June Sandwich Rotary club unveiled their lasting tribute to the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. A bench has been installed and also a tree at a site opposite the Co-op in Sandwich. This has been an effort that was supported by a £500 donation from the Co-op to supplement the cost that was met by The Rotary Club Of Sandwich. The tree is in support of the Queens Green canopy project. This project has several objectives. It commemorates the platinum Jubilee but it also helps to support the environment and fight climate change. The Bench and tree was sourced and installed by our Foundation Committee along with the associated landscaping. This will be a great asset to Sandwich and a lasting reminder of the The Rotary Club of Sandwich's contribution to the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

April 2022

Benefit Concert for Ukraine

At 10am on Saturday the 4th June Sandwich Rotary club unveiled their lasting tribute to the Queen on the occasion of her Platinum Jubilee. A bench has been installed and also a tree at a site opposite the Co-op in Sandwich. This has been an effort that was supported by a £500 donation from the Co-op to supplement the cost that was met by The Rotary Club Of Sandwich. The tree is in support of the Queens Green canopy project. This project has several objectives. It commemorates the platinum Jubilee but it also helps to support the environment and fight climate change. The Bench and tree was sourced and installed by our Foundation Committee along with the associated landscaping. This will be a great asset to Sandwich and a lasting reminder of the The Rotary Club of Sandwich's contribution to the Queens Platinum Jubilee.

Ukraine Crisis

The Rotary Hub at Sandwich 6a Strand Street, Sandwich

The Sandwich Rotary Hub will be open again to receive donations for the Ukraine crisis. It will be open on Thursday 14th April and again on Saturday 16th April, 10.30am to 3.30pm, then every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Sandwich Rotary are one out of 72 great clubs that make up the southeast district and thanks to the connections of fellow Rotarians a Lorry has been pledged to transport aid to the area and it is based here in Kent. As part of Rotary in the UK we have been gifted PPE equipment and other essential medical aid which is currently sitting in a warehouse in Redditch. There are around 350 boxes the value of which is in the 10s of thousands which needs a willing haulier to collect and bring to Kent for onward transport. Unfortunately, it is not on pallets but there is a body of Rotary volunteers able to load and unload in Redditch and in Kent. These boxes need to be moved in the next 2 weeks, so an urgent appeal has gone out. The Hub is now collecting a more targeted range of aid as this is what is urgently needed. The new list is as follows: Thermos Flasks Sleeping Bags Water Purification Tablets Solar Lamps Electrical generators 5W and 10W Torches New underwear children’s and adults Nappies Cooking Utensils Biological toilets Electric Cookers Support and contributions will be delivered direct the Poland / Ukraine border via the donated articulated lorry in the coming weeks. Sandwich Rotary urge people to keep donations coming in. The hub is also open for financial donations and donations totalling £5,000 has already been sent to the International Rotary Fellowship of Healthcare Professionals. It is a charity that will procure the essential medical aid needed on the ground for Ukraine’s hospitals in Lviv and further inside Ukraine. Please check out the website and Facebook page for up-to-date details of Sandwich Rotary Clubs Ukrainian Appeal.

March 2022

Rotary response to Ukraine Crisis

o all supporters of our appeal for donations to support the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine. With your effort we have been able to pass 5 transit van loads of assorted aid direct to distribution hubs destined for Poland and on to Ukraine. A massive Thank you to everyone who has given so generously. Also a fantastic shout our to everyone who has contributed to our appeal for much needed funds with you generosity we have raised £5000 which will be passed through our Rotary International connections in Poland and Ukraine.
We are not stopping there we are getting the premises in Sandwich ready to act as a community support hub, which will change location (only slightly) to next door at 6B Strand Street. Here we will begin to plan how we can best support refugees that may find themselves within our area and continue to provide whatever support we can in Ukraine and its border countries.
Please keep following us for regular updates as we move to the next phase of our relief campaign.
THANK YOU
The Rotary Club of Sandwich

Some of those that have helped to coordinate the collection in the Sandwich Rotary Hub for Ukraine. Ray Stevens, Lesley Stevens, PP Richard Daw, Jenny Ruston, Steve Ruston (club president) PP Derek Smith