Rotary International was formed in the USA in 1905 and in 1911 the first clubs were formed in the United Kingdom.

Rotary is a service organisation of Business and Professional people united world wide to help those in need. There are now 1,200,000men and women members in more than 32,400 clubs throughout the world.

Kendal Rotary Club (the first in this area) was formed in 1924/25 and this year we will be celebrating our 90th birthday.

In preparation for this I have been spending time looking at all the past records of the club in the Archives department at Kendal's County Hall.

The first meetings were held at the County Hotel and many predominant local surnames are listed as being present, Messers Gates, Wilson x4 Griffith, Howie, Pollit Brown, Atkinson and others (at that time membership was restricted to men).

Lunch was 2/6d and meetings were held fortnightly. Subscriptions were to be one guinea a year (this had increased to £3 by 1930, but this included an amount for a benevolent fund to be paid to local good causes).

In the 1920s the club was represented on the newly formed League of Nations committee in Kendal, and was instrumental in the formation of a Juvenile Employment Bureau.

In 1928 they agreed to help Dr James Cochrane raise funds for the County Hospital by getting subscriptions of 2/6 from local people. The club raised £1,000, a high figure for 1928.

A holiday scheme for pre consumptive boys was set up, sets of clothes were bought and loaned out as well as surgical boots and appliances. 21 boys were sent to camp at Kings Meaburn in 1929 at a total cost of £77-13-6d.

It was particularly interesting to read the minutes of the club during World War II. I found no mention of members receiving ‘call up papers’ (which probably indicated the age of Rotarians at the time). Three weeks after the outbreak of war the Rotary Clubs in Newcastle and South Shields asked Kendalians via Rotary to set up a fund for evacuees.

By now the Kendal Club was meeting at the Fleece Inn but because the Inn was having difficulty getting waiters, members should help by helping to wait on at tables.

Reference is made in the minutes during the war about donations being given to the Earl Haig Fund and to the relief work in Finland, Poland and Turkey.

Social activities during the war years were restricted and in 1943 a joint social function with the Inner Wheel Club of Kendal (for wives of Rotarians) was discussed at length.