Our meeting on Wednesday 01 November 2023 had a very special speaker – the Chair of the Board of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland, Robert Morris. As a consequence, there were five additional clubs to our own represented at the meeting. As well as a speaker, there were also reports on several visits to other Clubs, and there was a welfare report on the members that could not make the meeting.
Robert is completing a three year term on the Board of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland, with a year as Chair, to be followed by 6 months as the Immediate Past Chair. The succession for the next two years is already decided, and the incumbents are in place and attending the Board meetings.
Robert took us through the Rotary Action Plan and how it is being implemented, pointing out that the time for change has arrived. The governance of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland has changed, and so have the teams responsible for it. We were introduced to all the players. A survey of the members conducted in March 2023 led to some important insights, and these have led to a series of goals for our organisation, and the necessary work streams are being put in place to achieve them.
The types and structure of membership is being changed, and we have seen this in London with the new District Hub which allows membership of Rotary without being in a Rotary Club. The geography is also being reorganised into 6 clusters as well as the 25 districts, so that talent can be developed and leadership strengthened. A series of Action Summits has been put in place so that all the new information can be shared.
This was an interesting and informative presentation that led to many questions. The meeting closed with a discussion about the Diwali lighting ceremony, our Special General Meeting, the Kenton Street Fair, Remembrance Sunday and our concert on 25 November 2023.
