Philip Dazeley is looking forward to serving as the new president of Ross Rotary Club, an honour he has achieved for the second time.

Philip is a long standing member of Rotary, originally joining the Hereford Club 23 years ago, after being invited to meeting by a friend when he worked in Hereford.

He joined Ross Rotary Club about 15 years ago and served as President soon after.

He told the Ross Gazette that he sees membership of Rotary as a way of living out what his Christian faith guides him to do. He said Rotary is not a religious organisation, it is non-religious and non-sectarian, but it provides a vehicle for helping others.

“Through meetings, sharing ideas and listening to interesting speakers we plan things we can do to help others in many different ways”, he added. This includes local projects, national schemes and international projects such as the eradication of polio.

Some of the ways Ross Rotary has helped others recently include supporting local students with an awards scheme for local engineering apprentices, funding the Christmas tree in the centre of town and the group purchased a trailer for a family so that they could take their disabled child out on family bike rides.

Ross Rotary Club has also recently assisted the First Responders and they are always willing to consider ideas and applications. Philip is hoping through his Presidential year to overcome people’s perception that Rotary members are all old, elderly and male. He said: “We have several members who are working full time, as well as female members. Rotary has changed as times have changed.”

But the Club still needs to recruit new members to be able to grow and do more. People can find out more by going to the club’s website at www.rotaryclubofrossonwye

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