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Twenty‑three members and guests of the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock enjoyed a fantastic social evening on Tuesday 9 June as we travelled to Chelmsford for the T20 clash between Essex Men and Kent Spitfires.

Our 65th Tripartite Gathering

Welcome to the 65th Tripartite Gathering

The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock was delighted to host the 65th Tripartite of the Rotary Clubs of Iserlohn, Voorschoten‑Leidschendam and Grays Thurrock, and extended a very warm welcome to everyone who attended.

The weekend was held from 15 to 17 May 2026 but many of our guests stayed in the UK for longer and visited London.

Donations to our good causes

Since 1 January 2025, we have donated £38,503 to charities and good causes.

Every pound of this has come from the incredible generosity of the people and businesses of Thurrock, and from the hard work of our volunteers throughout the year. Thank you — your support allows us to make a real difference in our community.

Here’s how your contributions have helped…

In Memory of Rotarian Steve Payne

Member of the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock, 12 November 1998 – 5 February 2026
Club President 2017–2018 • Paul Harris Fellow (2022)

The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Steve Payne, a devoted family man, a skilled craftsman, a committed sportsman, and an exceptional Rotarian whose contribution to our club and community will be remembered for many years to come. Steve died on 5 February 2026, having faced his illness with the same courage, clarity, and quiet determination that defined his life.

Thurrock Young Artist 2026

The Club would like to thank all the young Artists for entering this year’s competition. The quality of the work was outstanding.

Young Writer 2026

The 2026 Young Writer competition this year proved particularly demanding for the judges, given the exceptionally high standards. As a result, choosing the winner was no easy task. Nonetheless, the judges ultimately reached consensus on both the first and second place recipients, whose names are listed below.

Junior Section: Winner Ethan Morgan Tilbury Pioneer Academy

2^nd place Jessica Stefan Lansdowne Primary Academy

Intermediate Section Winner Lucas McCaul Mossbourne Portside Academy

2^nd Place Lucas Bilby Hathaway Academy

Technology Tournament 2026

Plane Launcher

This year’s competition was a great success, with eight teams taking part from a range of schools across Thurrock. The event was held at the prestigious Tilbury Cruise Terminal, which proved to be an ideal venue due to its spacious facilities.

The students’ task this year was to design and build a plane launcher. The aim was to launch a paper plane from a ramp and achieve the greatest possible distance before it touched the ground.

Young Photographer 2026

The results for the Young Photographer competition of 2026 are now available.

Awards presented for 95 years and 50 years

The Club recently received from Rotary GB&I a Certificate in commemoration of the Clubs 95th Anniversary on 9th October 2025. The certificate was formally received at our Christmas Lunch meeting. President Paul Smith said he was honoured to receive the certificate on behalf of the Club.

The Club also presented two commemorative glasses to longstanding club members John G Smith and John Walsham, who had been members for 50 and 52 years respectively and are still active members of the Club.

Christmas Collections 2025

The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock set an all-time collecting record at Christmas and due to the generosity of Thurrock residents we collected over £13,300. The Club organised 10 nights of sleigh runs around the Grays area and nine days of collections outside, Asda at Tilbury, Morrisons at Corringham and Tesco at Lakeside. The new sleigh tracker helped residents and eager children to follow the sleigh online and meet us on route. Our new card machines and some good weather all contributed to this year’s record collection.

Tribute to Rotarian Ray Reynolds

The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock mourns the passing of our esteemed member, Ray Reynolds, who left us on 10 November 2025 at the age of 88. Ray’s life was a shining example of service, fellowship, and dedication to both community and country.

Treetops assists with Santa

Staff from Treetops Schools walked the streets of Stanford-le-Hope on Tuesday to support Santa Claus and the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock.

Young Musician 2025

On 29 November, the Young Musician competition took place, organised in collaboration with Thurrock Music Services, The Gateway Academy, and the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock. This annual event aims to celebrate and nurture young musical talent within the local community.

95 years old and still going strong

The Club celebrated its 95th Anniversary on 9th October2025, when the formal charter was presented to the Club at a Charter Meeting in the Queens Hotel in Grays.

Life on the Ocean Waves

On 2nd October Captain Don Cockerill, MBE, gave a fascinating talk on his 14-year life as a Thames Pilot and showed us a fascinating film, of doing his job in mountainous seas and unpiloted ships causing devastation by crashing into dockside cranes. Don gave a similar presentation at the recent District Conference.

Club congratulates long serving members

Membership is more than attracting new members, its also about retaining those you already have and on 25^th September, the club congratulated all 15 members who had reached at least 25 years of membership, with the presentation of a framed certificate and a letter of congratulation from Rotary International.

Quiz Night for Polio Eradication

In support of World Polio Day on 24th October 202 the club held its annual Quiz Night at Thurrock Rugby Football Club on Friday 3rd October 2025, with over 70 people in nine teams attending.

Rotary Charity Golf Day 2025

At 1:00pm on Tuesday 19th August, 26 teams with 104 golfers started our clubs Charity Golf Day held at The Orsett Golf Club. The event was a huge success with the golfers enjoying great competition and once again warm weather on one of the finest courses in Essex.