A Brief History of The Rotary Club of Stourbridge

RIBI District No. 1060 Charter No. 1236

The Rotary Club of Stourbridge was established on 11^th January 1922 and the first meeting was held at the Bell Hotel in Market Street on 1^st February with its founding President, A.H. Moody, in the chair. It is one of the oldest clubs in the District and its initial annual subscription was two guineas (£2.10) and the number of members was 47. Meetings were held fortnightly and the Club soon became involved in raising money for charitable purposes – one of its first efforts was the setting up of a Boot Fund to provide footwear for the children at a time when unemployment was high and when there was much poverty in the area.

From the beginning of 1926, the Club moved its headquarters to the Talbot Hotel in the High Street where it occupied more spacious accommodation. In December 2006 it moved to the Hagley Golf and Country Club where it now holds its Wednesday lunchtime meetings. It was on the evening of 28^th January 1926 that it held its first ladies night.

Over the years, the charitable activities of the Club have increased and developed. Fund-raising events during any presidential year contribute as much as £10,000 for charities both at home and abroad; much has been contributed to African Countries through the efforts of the Club’s Foundation and International Committees. One member, Ed Shore, raised over £10,000, for cancer research, in 1997 by cycling across the United States of America.

At the annual Charter Day of the Club, senior members with over 25 years service are saluted by their peers; at present some 18 of the 70 members have a combined membership of 614 years! Our most senior member, Eric Moody, son of the founding President, has been a member since 1938 while the next most senior member, Brian Evers, who joined in 1947, is the son of the Club’s second President.

The Club, which maintains a membership of around 70, is thriving, with new members joining at regular intervals. Michael Woodall led a trip in May 2002 to our twin club in Sturbridge Mass to further strengthen our transatlantic links and to return the visit by Sturbridge to Stourbridge in 1998. Sturbridge Rotarians and their wives will visit Stourbridge in June 2004. Many of our members’ wives have contributed to a Sturbridge Club recipe book.

The Club organises many and varied social and fund-raising activities: in the recent past there has been a high-class fashion parade as well as drama evenings, Christmas concerts, golf matches, jazz evenings, bible reading and to the Proms in the (Hyde) Park as well as to Birmingham International Airport. Each year £1000 is raised at a Club charity auction and each year “new” events take place.

Return to the top of the page