“Service above Self”

Rotary’s motto above is what inspires us to volunteer to help where we can in our local communities. We are fortunate in Guildford to have an amazing organisation called Disability Challengers.

Challengers is a charity that gives disabled children and young people the opportunity to play, have fun, and make friends in a safe and supportive environment.  Our input, in assisting with fund raising events, is just a small part that we can play to allow the service that they give.

We were hugely touched by a message received from the one of the Challenger’s team which we would like to pass on. It sums up why we, ‘Rotary in Guildford’ do what we do.

Click here for the message to Steve, our project lead for Challengers

Mayor’s Christmas Charity Concert 2025

On the 14th December the Vivace Chorus Choir gave a stunning performance of Christmas Carols conducted by their new music director Barbara Höfling at Holy Trinity Church Guildford. Amazing carols from Demark and Germany were also introduced together with the beautiful ‘CoventryCarol’. The programme was interspersed with appropriate Christmas readings.

The event was organised by the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey with refreshments provided by Guildford Chantries Rotary.

The two Charities to be supported by the event were The Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice and the Cheryl King Trust.

Rotary President Andy Bowen-Ashwin thanked Canon Simon Butler for the use of Holy Trinity Church, the Vivace Chorus for embracing the event and all those involved in setting up the event. He then introduced the Mayor Councillor Howard Smith to say a few words about his chosen Charities.

We will up date this post shortly with the sums made for the chosen Charities once all the costs are determined.

For more pictures Click here

Santa Fun Run 2025

On Sunday the 7th December the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey assisted the Challengers’ Santa Fun run with marshalling duties. The whole event was sponsored by Kelly’s storage.

It was a chilly damp day but at least the heavy rain stayed away.

Thanks to the efforts of the runners, sponsorship and generous supporters Challengers made some £8,000 for the Charity

Our rotary Team braved the elements and dispersed around the course to direct the runners

Look out for next year’s Fun event likely to be on the 6th December 2026

The Shed

After 4 weekend mornings the new Gosden House School woodland shed is complete.

With willing helpers 2 Architects and a Structural Engineer what could possibly go wrong !
Weekend 1 ground clearing and the base goes down awaiting gravel fill.

Weekend 2 gravel fill goes down. We turned the instruction sheets this way and that way trying to match the myriad components to that which was actually supplied ! This was equivalent to an ‘Ikea Prototype’ before they had perfected their simple construction process.

Weekend 3 and the roof goes on

On the final weekend of the 30th November the roof covering and doors went on aided by Andy’s bacon buns which may have to become standard fare on future Gosden House Gardening weekends. (Every 4th Saturday of the month  10-12 am )

Hundreds of screws later we only had a few left over and a couple of pieces of wood !!

Completed Shed !

2025 11 19 Masanga Clinic – Sierra Leone – Update

Masanga Hospital is a small rural hospital in central Sierra Leone that provides both outpatient and inpatient care. In recent years, illnesses such as high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes have become much more common, now causing over 40% of all deaths in the country.

To help tackle this, the hospital started a weekly clinic in 2023 focused on preventing and managing these long-term conditions. Patients are reviewed regularly, receive vital medication to prevent complications and are supported to stay well. Because healthcare in Sierra Leone must be paid for privately—and poverty is widespread—many people cannot afford the medications they need.

The NCD clinic therefore aims to provide free check-ups, follow-up appointments, and essential medications, relying entirely on outside funding to make this possible.

Thanks to the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey’s generous contribution, the clinic has been able to make huge improvements. Your support has provided laptops to keep proper medical records and gather data for research, as well as reliable blood pressure monitors and even portable ECG machines to detect heart problems early. These tools have dramatically raised the standard of care and are making a real difference in the lives of people who otherwise would not have access to treatment.

15th November 2025 Repair Café

The lady who brought the clock in was kind enough to let us know..”…My nephew is blind and he loves a ticking clock but it had stopped ticking and I want to give it to him on his birthday (tomorrow)! Its ticking and chiming away beautifully! 😍” See picture below.

Summary of morningFor full details click HERE
Repairs inspectedTotal78.27 kg
*unable to repair, advice given 29.17 kg
#=in progress4.95 kg

Those few items that we couldn´t repair on the day were returned to the owners with advice on further action to avoid them being discarded or where bespoke components could be purchased that we could use for repair at a future Repair Café date.

If you feel you would like to join our repairers once a month CLICK HERE

Purple4Polio

Since 1986, Rotary International has been leading the fight against Polio,
working with the World Health Organisation and Governments to vaccinate all the world’s children. Today the wild Polio virus exists only in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
When children receive the vaccine, their little finger is marked with a purple dye. To publicise the Polio Eradication programme, Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland plants purple Crocus in public places. The Rotary Club of Guildford Wey, a number of whose members live in Shalford, acquired 4000 Purple Crocus Bulbs and planted them on Saturday 25th October in the grass area opposite Snooty’s Groceries next to the Orchard. Our thanks to Shalford Councillors Dominique Williams & Catherine Houston for obtaining Council permission for the planting and Rotary organiser and Shalford resident Andrew Jackson for organising the project for Rotary. We would also like to thank volunteers who assisted Rotary in the day with special thanks to Douglas Reid of the Shalford, Peasmarsh & Chilworth (SCP) Garden Club.

The Snooty Fox Café supplied the volunteers with sausage rolls & chips which were most welcome.
For picture gallery of volunteers click Here

Fairlands Volunteers Fair 14 October 2025

Rotary Club of Guildford joined local volunteer groups for a Volunteers Fair to raise awareness and gain contacts for future projects and assistance on Wednesday 14th October 2025. It was an interesting and productive afternoon talking to many other organisations, charities and individual visitors. Pictured are members of Rotary Club of Guildford Wey and Liz from MCR Pathways, the mentor voluntary children charity who were also at the fair.  Rotary Wey had recently made a donation to allow MCR to purchase some display and advertising materials for use at events.

Challengers’ Wood Street Jazz Festival 2025

Each year the Rotary Club of Guildford Wey help set up and clear away the venue for Wood Street Village’s Jazz Festival in aid of Challengers a charity which enables disabled children and young persons to have fun, without limits.

On the 20th July 2025 an amazing range of excellent acts included Music of Stevie Wonder, Jazz Samba and a local Big Band Music

Always a very popular annual event this year raised around £22,000 for Challengers

For more information about the event please Click here

5 July 2025

Rotary Club of Guildford Wey were please to help out the Shalford Community Orchard Project with this weeks watering of the 32 trees !

Peter, Andrew, Alan and Trish as well as Andy’s son Ethan who very kindly came in his Dad’s place and of course not forgetting Alan & Trish’s Grandaughter Robyn.

If you wish to support this Community Environmental Project Click Here