A ROUGH GUIDE to the Rotary Club of Northallerton

“A Rough Guide” is intended primarily for new members perhaps in their first year in Northallerton Rotary Club. It seeks to give very basic information, hints and tips about this Rotary Club. It may also be useful as an aide memoir for more established members if they are explaining the Club to new or prospective members.
Atmosphere: The essence of the Club is informality, fellowship and collective enjoyment via service activities. It is underpinned by a structure led by a President who is elected for one year each July.

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Atmosphere: The essence of the Club is informality, fellowship and collective enjoyment via service activities.  It is underpinned by a structure led by a President who is elected for one year each July.

Attendance: Individual members are encouraged to attend at least 50% of Rotary weekly meetings (visits to other Rotary clubs included). If you are unable to attend, please let the secretary know by the Wednesday before. You can also indicate intended absence on the signing-in sheet which is circulated at each meeting.

Auditors: The Club accounts (General and Charity) are audited annually by an external qualified person, currently John Hart.

Bulletins: Bulletins are issued quarterly via email to give news and information about forthcoming events,  They can be printed by members as required,

Bulletin Editor: Contact David Lock.

Business Meetings: One meeting per month is designated as a Business Meeting (with no guest speaker). This is held on the Friday after each Council meeting.

Club Council: The Club is run by the Club Council, appointed at the Club AGM, consisting of the President, Immediate Past President, President-Elect, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Committee Chairmen with specific roles. Meetings are held on the 2nd Wednesday evening of the month, apart from December.  Any Committee or member may suggest how the Club’s funds might be spent, but only Council can authorise Club expenditure. Any member who wishes to attend and contribute is welcome at Council as a non-voting observer,

Charity Account: The Club is a registered charity No. 257684.  All fundraising and donations are deposited in this account, which is set up to claim Gift Aid from qualifying donations; likewise all UK and international donations are made from this account

Charter Night Dinner: The Club holds a formal black-tie dinner annually to celebrate its formation on 20 November 1947. The District Governor is invited, and many members from other local Clubs attend as well.

Classification:  For many decades Rotary was as much a “business contacts” group as a service provider and fund-raiser.  Each new member was classified according to the profession or industry he worked in, and each Club could only have one member in each Class.  These days new members are still classified, mainly for information and interest, but no limits are applied.

Clothing: From time to time, it is possible to order items of Rotary clothing with an embroidered gold Northallerton Club roundel –  T-shirts, polo shirts, sweat shirts, fleeces, gilets, baseball caps etc. Contact the Secretary.

Committees: The Club’s activities are organised by 6 committees: Club Service and
Fellowship, Community Service, International and Foundation, Youth Opportunities, Environmental and Publicity. These meet as necessary several times a year.  All members serve on one of the Committees, generally for a minimum 2-3 year period.

    Club Service and Fellowship Committee: This looks after the welfare and smooth running of the Club and organises outings for members and their spouses/friends.

    Community Service Committee:  This manages our local fundraising initiatives and channels our help to deserving local groups, whether financially or as a service activity.

    International and Foundation Committee:  This manages our links with Rotary Clubs in other countries (especially Nepal), and advises Council when we are asked to donate to overseas emergencies.  At least once a year the Club purchases a ShelterBox (see below). It also publicises the work of Rotary Foundation (see below) and handles Foundation grants which we occasionally apply for from District,

    Youth Opportunities Committee:  This organises our annual Schools Debate, aimed at year 6 pupils in local primary schools;  handles the selection of our annual candidate for RYLA (see below);  and coordinates our contribution to the annual Technology Tournament for secondary schools (see below), jointly organised by 5 local Clubs.
    Environmental Committee:  This works around the town and in S Cowton Churchyard to  maintain green spaces, including (jointly with Mowbray RC) a garden in the former Hambleton District offices at Stone Cross.

    Publicity Committee:  This maintains the Club website, Facebook page and Instagram page, and keeps sending a steady stream of articles to the Darlington & Stockton Times.

Data Protection: The Club has a formal Data Protection Policy which all new members must read and sign.  Contact the Club Secretary.

Diary Dates: Our up-to-date programme of Friday speaker dates is maintained on the Club website.  An information folder, including sign-up sheets, is also passed around at every Friday meeting of various activities that may be of interest within this or other Clubs. And a Club diary is printed within the Bulletin

District:  Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland (RGB&I) is divided up into 24 areas known as Districts. Each Club is a separate entity, but District sets policies, holds Council meetings and an annual Conference, and coordinates joint local projects.  Northallerton Rotary Club is in District 1040 covering most of Yorkshire and north Lincolnshire. Part of our annual subs are sent to District to cover their expenses. 

Donations:  Any member may propose a donation from the Club to any organisation through their Committee to Council. These are considered on their merits – the more local the better.  We regularly sponsor local youngsters to participate in national or international service activities, and generally ask them to come back and make a presentation to us afterwards.

Dress Code: Smart casual at weekly meetings.

Duties: Visitors’ Hosts: Put out regalia and PA system by 12 noon. Greet visitors, ask them to sign the Visitors’ Book, take them to pay for lunch (prospective members or speakers paid by the Treasurer, visiting Rotarians pay for their own) then through to meet the President, and stay with them. Give the Visitors’ Book to the President by 12.30. At the end pack up the regalia and PA system, and give the key back to the hotel desk.

Duties: Speaker’s Hosts:  Contact the Speaker in advance to ascertain any audio-visual requirements, and to send them the Meal Choice Google form.  Greet the Speaker and assist in setting up equipment. For a Charity Speaker obtain a donation cheque in advance from the Treasurer. Give the Vote of Thanks, present the cheque if applicable, and then help dismantle the equipment.

Expenses: Rotarians at all levels can claim expenses from the Treasurer for approved Club business.

Facebook: Our Facebook page can be found at “@rotarynorthallerton”. – Contact Emma Biggs.

Fayres:  The Club holds spring and autumn fayres in Northallerton Town Hall. We offer stalls free of charge to local charities to help with their fundraising and publicity.  Members sell refreshments to cover the Hall hire cost, and we sometimes have our own bric-a-brac or plant stall.

Fifth Friday Meetings: Where there is a fifth Friday in the month these meetings are held in the early evening (6 for 6.30).  Husbands/wives/partners are invited to attend. It is perhaps also an ideal time to bring along a friend who may be interested in joining the Club.

Foundation: “Rotary Foundation” is Rotary’s own international charity arm, based in USA and controlled by its own separate Board.  Contributions, gifts and donations are transformed into service projects that change the lives of thousands of people across the world. Foundation is able to give District or International grants back to individual Clubs to fund a range of joint projects.  Rotary Foundation UK (RFUK) is the equivalent UK-base charity.  Members are encouraged to make a purely voluntary gift-aided donation to RFUK each July and at Christmas.

Fundraising: Any member can propose an idea for a Club fundraising event.

Gender:  Prior to 1984 only men were allowed to become Rotarians, and wives who wished to help joined associated Inner Wheel Clubs instead.  These developed their own fund-raising and service projects.  Both Northallerton Rotary Clubs are fully dual gender these days, as required by RI rules, and the separate Northallerton Inner Wheel Club closed down some years ago.

General Account: All costs of actually running the Club –  meetings, expenses, speaker fees, Charter Night, equipment etc   –  come from this account which is funded by our annual subs.

Gift Aid:  All members are asked to complete two gift aid forms, one for the Club and one for RFUK.

Hambleton Foodshare: Members are encouraged to bring donations of non-perishable food to our monthly Business Meetings  –  see  https://hambletonfoodshare.org.uk

Honorary Members:   These are elected by the Club from time to time to recognise particular service to the Club.  The Club currently has 6 such members (though there is no upper limit):  Lord Hague of Richmond, Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Major Lilbahadur Gurung OBE MPHF (RC of the Himalayan Gurkhas, Kathmandu}, Robert Morphet PHF (RC of Bradford West) and two of our own former members, Bob Barratt PHF and Tony Twiggs PHF.

Investments:  In 1997 the Club received a fine bequest from a former member.  Our policy since then has been to invest the capital and use the interest each year for the benefit of the Club or its charities.  Investment policy is controlled by the Trustees (see below).

Meetings: The Club meets at 12 for 12.30 pm on Fridays (except Good Friday and during the last 2 weeks in December) at The Golden Lion, High St, Northallerton, DL7 8PP. Meetings aim to finish by 2 pm.

Visiting Rotarians and prospective members are always welcome. If possible, please contact the secretary in advance at 01609 770692 or l.crelling@tiscali.co.uk

Friday meetings consist of a one-course lunch and coffee followed by very brief announcements and then a talk by a guest speaker. Members pay at the bar for their own lunch on arrival (currently £13.50). Grace is said after the meal and toasts are drunk to Rotary and the King to finish (keep your glass of water topped up for this!). The meeting is relaxed with minimal formalities.

Members’ List:  An annual paper address list with phone numbers, classification and partners’ names is given to all members each July – contact Tom Banfield – but nowadays most communication is via email.

Mentors:  The person who first sponsors a new member will normally be the key person to
familiarise and guide them about how the Club works.

Minutes:  All Committees produce their own minutes which are verbally reported at Club business meetings. Council produces full minutes each month which after approval are circulated to all members by email.

Motto:  The Rotary world-wide motto is “Service Above Self” – and we mean it!

Mowbray Rotary Club:  RC of Northallerton Mowbray is our daughter Club, founded in 1991 to meet on Monday evenings and complement our Rotary offering to the town.  The two Clubs are run quite separately, with very few joint projects  –  but all coordinated to avoid overlap.

New members:  Before joining, prospective members have a formal introductory meeting with the President, Secretary, Treasurer and their mentor.  At a subsequent Club meeting they are then formally welcomed by the President and given their Rotary lapel badge, their Club name badge, and the new member Welcome Guide to Rotary Great Britain and Ireland.  Within a few months of joining they are invited to give a “My Job” talk to members about their career.

Open Forum: One meeting per year, normally in February, is classed as an open forum for members to raise and discuss any Club-related issues.  It is chaired by the President-Elect since ensuing policy changes (if any) are likely to be introduced during the next Rotary year.

PHF: Paul Harris founded the Rotary organisation in Chicago in 1905.  The Paul Harris Fellowship is a world-wide recognition which acknowledges outstanding individuals who contribute through fine service to Rotary or major contributions to Rotary Foundation.  Our Club only recognises the service element, and the President will set up a small ad hoc committee to consider each award in private.  Awards are made by the President at an appropriate meeting, and we always try to keep it hidden from the recipient.

Photographer:  The official Club photographer is David Lock. He and Les Crelling also organise an annual Club Photography prize competition leading to an awards night each October.  Contact either of them for the current year’s subjects.

President: The Club President holds office for one Rotary year which runs from July to June.  He or she chairs all Club and Council meetings and represents the Club as required at District level and at other Clubs’ Charter Nights.  The current holder is Emma Biggs (2023-2024).  The President is given an allowance to cover travel and associated costs.

President-Elect:  In the year before becoming President each member takes on this role during which they stand in for the President as required, and chair the Club Service & Fellowship Committee and the Open Forum meetings.

Protection Officer: The Club has a designated protection officer, currently David Paramore.  He
ensures vulnerable people or guests at a Club event or project are appropriately cared for.

Publicity and Press Officer: – Contact Phil Roser

RGB&I:  Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland is the administrative organisation covering the British Isles, and offers important support to Clubs and Districts – eg insurance, compliance documentation, conferences, the quarterly Rotary magazine etc.  It is funded by a portion of each members subscriptions.

Rotary International (RI):   RI, our parent organisation, is the world’s biggest purely voluntary service community, trying to make a difference in the world we live in.  it has Clubs in over 200 countries.   It too is funded by a portion of our subs, via RGB&I.

Rotary Rambles:  On the first Wednesday of the month from May to September inclusive there is an afternoon walk of about 5+ miles in the Dales or the Moors, followed by a 1-course pre-booked meal at a suitable pub.   Everyone is welcome including partners and friends, and we welcome a good number of Mowbray Rotarians as well.  There is a different leader each month, and the overall schedule is coordinated by Chris Johnson.

RYLA: Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is a leadership programme coordinated by Rotary Clubs around the globe. There are two 5-day residential  courses each summer in our District, held near Hebden Bridge. Together with Northallerton Mowbray Rotary Club we select and sponsor two young people to attend one of the events.  Participants are chosen with the aim of improving their confidence and ability to relate to others in team situations.  In September they give a joint presentation to both Clubs about their experiences.

Scatter Week: Once a year, on a date chosen by the President, every Club cancels its weekly meeting and members are encouraged to visit other Clubs and enjoy fellowship with them.  We even have our own trophy – given at the President’s discretion – for the member who has made the furthest or most unusual visit,

Secretary: Our Club secretary is Les Crelling, 01609 770692, l.crelling@tiscali.co.uk  He keeps the President, officers and committees in good order, and in effect ensures we stick to our annual calendar of activities.  The Assistant Secretary, Tom Banfield, takes the minutes at Council meetings.

ShelterBox:  This is an independent charity, founded in 2000, which grew out of a project launched by a Cornish Rotary Club.  Each Box contains a family-sized tent, sleeping bags, water purifying tablets, trenching tool and pots and pans  –  and the Box itself then acts as a store for clean water.  The charity buys Boxes in advance and stores them in strategic places across the globe near to known disaster areas.  Over 2.5 million million people have been helped so far.  Our Club always funds at least one Box a year, sometimes several more depending on need.

Speakers: The Club has a designated speaker finder, currently Chris Johnson, who generates a varied list of Friday speakers for our interest,  and always welcomes suggestions from members.  He maintains a strict limit on the number of charity speakers he books each quarter.

Social Visits: These are organised locally from time to time by any members of the Club in collaboration with the Club Service and Fellowship Committee.

Subscriptions: Currently £125 per annum (July to June), of which £65 goes to RGB&I/RI and £17 to our District.

Technology Tournament: The Club, along with others nearby in N Yorks, helps to arrange an annual technology tournament for secondary schools to encourage interest in science and engineering.  They are given a task which requires them to design, build and test a specialist piece of equipment.  The task is set nationally, and our own event is held in Catterick Garrison  – Contact Emma Biggs or Ken Blackwood.

Trustees: Our Club’s charitable activities and funds are overseen by 4 elected club members who are not Club officers  –  currently  David Paramore (chair), David Cook, David Lock and Ken Blackwood.  Their role is to oversee our charitable investments (see above) and ensure that our annual reports to the Charity Commission are accurate and on time.

Treasurer: Lyn Proud, 07487 732286, lynproud@icloud.com  maintains our TSB bank accounts and other investments, and handles all income and expenditure including expense claims.  We try to use electronic banking where possible. This task is undertaken by a member for a maximum of five years (re-elected annually).

Visitors: Visiting Rotarians and prospective members are always welcome. Members may also bring guests, whether or not they are Rotarians.  If possible, please contact the secretary in advance at 01609 770692 or l.crelling@tiscali.co.uk and contact the Golden Lion (01609 777411) re meal choices.

Websites: Northallerton Rotary Club can be found at www.northallertonrotary.org.uk.

RGB&I is at  www.rotarygbi.org and RI at www.rotary.org/en

Welfare Officer:  The Club has a designated Welfare Officer – John Mattison – who maintains contact with members who are ill.

Wine Raffle: At the beginning of each meeting members can take part in a raffle to win one of two bottles of wine. Give a pound to the raffle organiser and your name will enter the draw. The net takings go to Club funds and charities.

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