Rotary club to disband after over half a century

The members of a Surrey Rotary club have voted to disband after 54 years due to falling membership.

Cranleigh Rotary Club was founded in 1970, but has announced it's decision to fold due to "a significant decline in membership numbers over recent years".

It said the decline was "largely driven by age and health factors".

In a statement, it also said the group had been affected by the impact of the Covid lockdown.

Cranleigh Rotary Club said it hopes some members will join neighbouring clubs while other groups may take on organising some of the annual events it staged.

Rotary is an international organisation formed at the start of the 20th century, and named because its members would take turns to host meetings.

In its half-century Cranleigh has helped with local foodbanks, the Afghan Crisis Appeal, Medicins Sans Frontieres, and arranged for local schools to provide gift-filled shoeboxes for Romanian orphans.

It has also organised model railway exhibitions, santa dashes and quizzes.

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