Interested in Becoming a Member

If you are still interested in joining us

then you might like to know a bit more about the club’s activities so please read on -

We raised about £20,000 last year, which helped many deserving causes.  A typical example of this was our Charity Golf Day at Orsett with about 100 players raising about £4,000 for worthy local causes.

At Christmas we send Santa around the streets of Thurrock in his Rotary-sponsored sleigh and together with our supermarket collections during December, these two events raise around £12,000 for our Trust Fund.  The more keen and active members we have, the easier these fund-raising tasks become.

Without exception, all money raised is donated to worthwhile causes.  Money has been given to Barnardo’s, Great Ormond Street Hospital and local children’s charities as well as supporting local good causes.

The club also assists with events such as KidsOut, giving disadvantaged children a fun day at the seaside and organises a number of youth competitions promoting literacy, art, music, photography, public speaking, leadership, technology & cooking supported by local primary & senior schools in Thurrock.

It is not all about fund-raising though

Rotary is enjoyable, not least because it provides members with the chance to build life-long friendships with like-minded people and also offers many opportunities to have fun & enhance your social life.

Our club events include meals out, weekends away both in the UK and elsewhere (including a Tripartite Weekend spent with our linked clubs from Germany and Holland); days out to cricket and other professional sporting events; joining charity fundraisers for events like cycling and walking; an annual “Mystery Trip” where destinations have included Dublin, Berlin, Marrakech, Barcelona, Rome, Oporto, Istanbul and Budapest; And of course fun social events like Quiz Nights and Race Nights.

The club also plays in District sports competitions such as golf, bowls, tennis and even cribbage.

So the possible activities include something for all tastes!  Nobody attends all events but there is something available for everyone.

There are also several special interest groups organised by Rotary on a national and international level.  Grays members are currently involved in the International Fellowship of Flying Rotarians, radio hams and sailing.

OK this sounds good but what is the cost?

There are, naturally, personal costs involved; the annual subscription is currently set at £150. We meet weekly for our luncheon meetings at 1pm on Thursdays (except the 2nd Thursday of the month when we hold our meeting in the evening at 7pm which finishes around 8:30 pm) with meetings usually closing at around 2.30pm and costing £24.  We also hold a social meeting in different venues for partners & friends.  Further costs of membership will depend on how many social activities you decide to participate in.

We also make a voluntary personal annual donation to the Rotary Trust Fund – average around £125 – on which we claim GiftAid.  This forms the baseline for our annual charitable giving.

I mentioned that Rotary is open to both men and women but how do I find out more?

Before joining the club, prospective members are invited to attend at least three meetings to find out what is going on. There then follows a short informal information meeting with three members of the membership committee to tell you what actually goes on and how Rotary functions.  After that, if everybody is in agreement, you will be inducted into the club, will adopt the motto “service above self” and will wear the Rotary badge. At that point, you will also be entitled to visit any one of the 46,000 clubs in the world and will, hopefully, enjoy many years of Rotary fellowship.

If you have read this far, then please make contact with me (or any member of the club) and we can arrange for you to attend a meeting to see for yourself.

Please click on my email link at the bottom of this page

I look forward to making your acquaintance.

Clive Page

Chairman, Membership Committee

Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock

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