The Rotary Club of Coventry
Welcome to the Rotary Club of Coventry
Coventry is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands County in England. Coventry has been a large settlement of people for centuries. It is an historic city, founded in the early Middle Ages. Its city status was formally recognised in a charter of 1345. It now has a population of some 365,000, making it the sixth largest city in England. It is famous world- wide for its cathedral and the message of reconciliation that it brings. The City is proud to be a City of Sanctuary. For a lot more about Coventry and its history, see here.
There are three Rotary clubs in Coventry: Coventry Phoenix , Coventry Jubilee , and the Rotary Club of Coventry (this site), which is the oldest of the three, having been founded in 1911. The three clubs act together on many occasions to achieve their aims in the City and elsewhere.
Prior   to   the   start   of   each   Rotary   year,   a   new   theme   is   set   by   the   international   President.   For   2024/25   the   theme   is ‘The Magic of Rotary”.
Our President for 2024/25 is Mr Allan Jones. He writes: “At   first   glance   this   may   seem   rather   an   odd   theme   with   which embrace   our   Rotary   activities   for   the   year.   However,   when   one comes   to   think   about   this   “magic”   occurs   in   many   different ways.   Some   examples   illustrate   this.   First,   there   is   the   obvious magic   we   provide   for   our   local   children   as   our   Santa   Sleigh   is   drawn   through   the   streets of   our   city   at   Christmas   time   –   seeing   the   delight   on   their   faces   is   a   truly   uplifting experience. Second    there    is    the    magic    of    providing    good    quality    foot-ware    for    children    who previously had none, in South Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world. Third   there   is   the   magic   of   supporting   our   local   schools   in   so   many   ways,   including   some   magical   young speakers in the “Youth Speaks” competition. Just   three   examples   of   Rotary   providing   magical   experiences   for   many   and   diverse   people.   And   of   course,   there is   the   magical   friendship   that   we   experience   in   our   regular   luncheon   meetings   and   the   fun   we   have   together.   We shall   continue   with   these   magical   experiences   this   year   when   it   is   my   privilege   to   be   President   and   I   shall   try   to wave my magical wand over all our activities!” Why not join us in our magical journey? Allan
What is Rotary?
Rotary is an international organisation of service clubs. There are 34,000 Rotary Clubs and 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotary members are volunteers who give their time and talents to serve communities both at home and overseas. They are men and women from business and the professions, who share a common interest in helping others. In Great Britain and Ireland Rotary has over 33,000 members in all parts of the country. It is an integral part of Rotary International. Each member enjoys business and social networking opportunities whilst giving something back to those less fortunate. They also learn new skills and have fun! Rotary International runs countless humanitarian projects both locally, nationally and internationally, and partners with many charities worldwide. One of the great achievements has been that Rotary has been a major force in the virtual elimination of Polio worldwide. You can find out more about Rotary International here.
What does this club do?
Over the years the Rotary Club of Coventry has raised many thousands of pounds for local charities.   These sums have been raised largely by organising events that enable the public to donate, by tin shakes at supermarkets, buying tickets for events and engaging in other types of fundraising. We also support young people as they make their way in life, through our “Youth Speaks” debating competion, by giving financial support to deserving initiatives and by helping disadvantaged children in the UK and abroad.  Many local charities have been supported, including the Air Ambulance, Coventry Myton Hospice, schools Christmas parties, the Midland Air Museum and Disabled Sports.
One of our most recognisable activities is at Christmas time when, in conjunction with the other Clubs in the city, we take Santa Claus on journeys through the City streets on several nights, to the delight of our local children. The proceeds from this are donated to several local charities.
The annual “Festival of Christmas Trees” held in Holy Trinity Church in the city centre raises much needed funds for our international projects, in recent years supporting the International Children’s Trust, supporting vulnerable children around the world. You can find out more about ICT here .
A recent Club project has been supporting the development of The Charterhouse, one of Coventry’s most historic sites. This resulted in the appropriate naming of the approach walkway to the building, under the previous presidency of Rotarian Pru Porreta. Find out more about the Coventry Charterhouse here .
In July each year the Presidency of the Club changes and new officers are installed. This year Pru Porretta was replaced by Allan Jones at a lunch meeting at The Four Seasons Function room, where we meet.
As well as our charitable activities, there are several social events throughout the year, including an annual treasure hunt, a challenge bowls match against the Rotary Club of Nuneaton, barbeques, and several fundraisng lunches.
Where do we meet?
We regularly meet for lunch on the first and third Mondays of the month at: The Four Seasons Function Room, Kings Hill Nurseries, Kings Hill Lane, Coventry, CV3 6PS. We meet from 12.30 until 2.00pm. There is usually a speaker and we have variety of topics, ranging from the drug problems of inner cities to the delights of beekeeping!
Contact us
To contact us, for any reason, the email address of the Secretary is tim.sawdon@sky.com
A recent Club project has been supporting the development of The Charterhouse, one of Coventry’s most historic sites. This resulted in the appropriate naming of the approach walkway to the building, under the previous presidency of Rotarian Pru Porreta. Find out more about the Coventry Charterhouse here .
The annual “Festival of Christmas Trees” held in Holy Trinity Church in the city centre raises much n e e d e d funds for our i n t e r n a t i o n a l projects, in recent years supporting the International Children’s Trust, supporting vulnerable children around the world. You can find out more about ICT here .
One of our most recognisable activities is at Christmas time when, in conjunction with the other Clubs in the city, we take Santa Claus on journeys through the City streets on s e v e r a l nights, to the delight of our local children. The proceeds from this are donated to several local charities.
The Rotary Club of Coventry
Coventry is a cathedral city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands County in England. Coventry has been a large settlement of people for centuries. It is an historic city, founded in the early Middle Ages. Its city status was formally recognised in a charter of 1345. It now has a population of some 365,000, making it the sixth largest city in England. It is famous world- wide for its cathedral and the message of reconciliation that it brings. The City is proud to be a City of Sanctuary. For a lot more about Coventry and its history, see here.
There are three Rotary clubs in Coventry: Coventry Phoenix , Coventry Jubilee , and the Rotary Club of Coventry (this site), which is the oldest of the three, having been founded in 1911. The three clubs act together on many occasions to achieve their aims in the City and elsewhere.
What is Rotary?
Rotary is an international organisation of service clubs. There are 34,000 Rotary Clubs and 1.2 million members worldwide. Rotary members are volunteers who give their time and talents to serve communities both at home and overseas. They are men and women from business and the professions, who share a common interest in helping others. In Great Britain and Ireland Rotary has over 33,000 members in all parts of the country. It is an integral part of Rotary International. Each member enjoys business and social networking opportunities whilst giving something back to those less fortunate. They also learn new skills and have fun! Rotary International runs countless humanitarian projects both locally, nationally and internationally, and partners with many charities worldwide. One of the great achievements has been that Rotary has been a major force in the virtual elimination of Polio worldwide. You can find out more about Rotary International here.
What does this club do?
Over the years the Rotary Club of Coventry has raised many thousands of pounds for local charities.   These sums have been raised largely by organising events that enable the public to donate, by tin shakes at supermarkets, buying tickets for events and engaging in other types of fundraising. We also support young people as they make their way in life, through our “Youth Speaks” debating competion, by giving financial support to deserving initiatives and by helping disadvantaged children in the UK and abroad.  Many local charities have been supported, including the Air Ambulance, Coventry Myton Hospice, schools Christmas parties, the Midland Air Museum and Disabled Sports.
As well as our c h a r i t a b l e activities, there are several social events throughout the year, including an annual t r e a s u r e hunt, a challenge bowls match against the Rotary Club of Nuneaton, barbeques, and several fundraisng lunches.
Where do we meet?
We regularly meet for lunch on the first and third Mondays of the month at: The Four Seasons Function Room, Kings Hill Nurseries, Kings Hill Lane, Coventry, CV3 6PS. We meet from 12.30 until 2.00pm. There is usually a speaker and we have variety of topics, ranging from the drug problems of inner cities to the delights of beekeeping!
Contact us
To contact us, for any reason, the email address of the Secretary is tim.sawdon@sky.com