We are celebrating over 100 years of Rotary in Chester.

Formed on the  14 May 1921 with an announcement in The Chester Observer. “This week we have the pleasure of welcoming the Rotary Club in Chester”

Many citizens, while familiar with the name are unacquainted with the objects of a Rotary Club. Rotary is international and its motto is “Service – not Self”.

One of Rotary’s aims is friendship (known as fellowship in Rotary terms) and members sitting at random soon got to know one another quite well.

Reports of the early days of the Club are reported in the Executive minute books which were prudently deposited at the Cheshire Record office.

Early Rotary Club of Chester meetings

In 1923 the club moved to the Blossoms Hotel where the Blossoms lunch was stated to be 2/6 per head, or 2/8 including tea or coffee.

On the 40th anniversary of Rotary’s formation in Chicago (1945) the Club arranged a Social Evening at Quaintways Restaurant (with dancing!) in February.

In 1948 the Blossoms Hotel increased the charge for lunch to 4/-. It had remained unaltered at 2/9 for 15 years.

In May 1967 there is the first mention of a frugal lunch where members pay the normal cost for a sandwich lunch to raise money for charity. The practice has continued to this day.

Chester Half Marathon

In 1981 the President, Matt Wesley, indicated that he would like the Club to support cancer research at Clatterbridge hospital and Friends of Clatterbridge. Equipment costing £7000 was identified and the Club established a target to raise this. It was decided to pursue the idea of a sponsored run (this event later became the Chester Half Marathon.

Chester Half Marathon poster 1984
In 1984 donations were made to 32 charities totalling £14,349 (£65,529 in 2025 money).

In 2015 the Club moved from the Blossoms Hotel to the Crowne Plaza Hotel

Chester Raft Race

The mainstay fundraising project of the Club in recent times has been, the annual Chester Raft Race, was held every year since the start in the 1970s. The race developed into the City’s premier river event, and has over the years raised many thousands of pounds for charities and good causes, both local and international

The last race organised by Rotary Chester was in 2019, future events being organised by Chester Grosvenor Round Table.

Other Fundraising

A plawue at a Sri Lanka Hospital
Perhaps the best effort at fundraising was the Club’s response to the Tsunami which struck parts of South East Asia on Boxing Day, 2004. We were all horrified by the pictures of devastation caused by a huge tidal wave shown over the Christmas period. Club President, Colonel Jeremy Ropes, led the initiative to get permission and organise street collections in Chester. With help from Deva Club we collected a staggering £22,500.

The money, matched by that raised by other clubs, was used to buy 30 fishing boats and to support a trauma and emergency shock room at Base Hospital, Hambanthota in Sri Lanka

Pandemic disruption

In March 2020 meetings were suspended as a result of the pandemic. Meetings were held on line, and some members discovered IT skills in using new technology.

Face to face meetings resumed in July 2021 with a party in the incoming President’s garden. David Cotgreave, having been President in 1997/98, was again installed and the outgoing President (Prof Simon Burtonshaw-Gunn) had the unique honor of never having worn the chain of office at a meeting.

In July 2021 lunchtime meetings resumed at the Mill Hotel Chester, and in July 2022 we returned to the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

Ukraine refugees

On 4 March 2022 Chester Rotary organised a bucket collection at the Chester Vigil for Ukraine. In less than 1 hour, £2922 was collected in front of Chester Town Hall, and was donated to the Red Cross Ukraine Appeal.

In August 2022, we collaborated with several Wirral Clubs to deliver education equipment to Ukraine refugee children attending local schools.

Club History of Rotary in Chester
To commemorate our Club centenary, Rtn Brian Westcott authored a book titled “A history of the Rotary Club of Chester”. At just under 10,000 words, the book contains many stories and images from the 100 years of our existence.

This book is available for purchase for £5 – please contact us if you would like a copy.

Paul Harris Fellows

A Paul Harris Fellow is a person who has been recognised as having done something significant for others and recognises extended effort and commitment in supporting the community, whether locally, nationally or internationally.

Many notable figures have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the 1 million mark in 2006.

The Paul Harris Fellowship Award
Rotarian Paul Harris
(Image source: Rotary.org)
In ALL cases the recognition is significant and something to be proud of.

Rotary Club of Chester Paul Harris Fellows

Derek Swanson May 1981
Basil Thompson December 1985
Dennis Dixon-Bate November 1988
Geoffrey Morrison August 1989
Alex Bruce January 1991
John Elsely November 1992
Jim Siddal November 1992
Chris Samuels January 1998
John Ross January 1999
Eileen Harsant March 2000
Derek Jackson February 2002
Don Hughes February 2003
Austen Elliott January 2004
Jeremy Ropes June 2006
John Harsant May 2007
John McLintock February 2008
Peter Russell February 2008
Arthur Fielding February 2010
John Elsely – February 2011
Harold Shaw February 2011
Brian Westcott February 2011
Tim Holmes February 2013
Brendan Witter February 2015
Chris Robins February 2016
Denis Burton February 2016
Tim Wheeler January 2020
Heather Oldham February 2020
John Elsely – February 2020 – sapphire pin
Graham Proctor February 2022
David H. Cotgreave July 2022
John McLintock February 2023 – sapphire pin
Barry Ingram February 2024
Michael Roberts 2024
David Hughes 2024
Peter Fryer 2025