Our History
The Rotary Club of Rochdale was chartered by Rotary International on 22nd October 1926
A Brief History of Rotary
The first Rotary Club in the world was organised in Chicago, Illinois USA, on 23rd February 1905 by Paul Harris. He was a young lawyer who gathered together a group of men in the spirit of friendship and understanding, each of whom were engaged in a different form of service to the public. That basis for memberhip, one person from each business and profession in the community, still exists in Rotary. At first, the members of the new club met in rotation at their various places of business, and this suggested the name "Rotary".
Since 1905, the ideas of Paul Harris and his friends have become ideas which have been accepted by people of practically all nationalities, and of many political and religious beliefs. Today there are Rotary Clubs in Austria and America Samoa, in Brazil and Brunei, in India and Italy, Scotland and South Africa - in 168 countries and 34 geographical regions. The universal acceptance of Rotary principles has been so great that there are now more than 35,000 Rotary Clubs, which have a membership of over 1,200,000.
1926 - 1976
See a potted history of the activities of the Rotary Club of Rochdale during the first 50 years of its existance.
The First 50 Years
View a booklet produced in 1976 containing a more detailed look at the first 50 years of the Rotary Club of Rochdale.
Presidents of the Past
View photographs of the Past Presidents of the club since 1926.
Past President's Charities
See some of the charities supported by our recent Presidents.
Club Bulletins
Details of the club's activities are published in regular bulletins. View the archive of those from the last 30 years.
1977 - 2026
Look how the second half century of Service Above Self helped communities far and wide as Rotary Rochdale continued its work.
The Second Half Century
View the publication celebrating our centenary, with a glance at the second half century of Rotary Rochdale.
Members Past and Present
See all the members of Rotary Rochdale since 1926. Are any your relatives?
Past Projects
Details of some of the longer and larger projects we have carried out.
Youth Service
Supporting the youth of the town has always been an important part of our work. See a sample of it here.
