Our Rotary Holiday in Cornwall

This is a Rotary Club holiday to the small Cornish fishing village of Gorran Haven taken only two years after the end of the Second World War. Britain was undergoing rationing, reconstruction and reform. These Rotarians enjoy fishing, playing cricket on the beach, the outdoor pool at Carlyon Bay and the wilds of Cornwall followed by refreshment, reading and sea bathing. Rotary was a men only member organisation until the 1980s; women spouses were part of the Inner Wheel.

After a ruling in California and then the US Supreme Court, the organisation now known as Rotary International had no choice but to widen its membership. RI started in America in 1905 and soon became a worldwide organisation. It aimed to provide humanitarian services by bringing together business leaders and professionals to fundraise and influence public policy. One major success of global proportions is the PolioPlus programme initiated by Rotarians in Italy. Together the Gates Foundation and Rotary have committed over half a billion dollars toward the eradication of polio. RI has well established links to the United Nations, Unicef and the World Health Organisation.