Rotary in Harpenden – Service before Self

Harpenden

SUPPORTING THE LOCAL COMMUNITY

Rotary in Harpenden support local people of all ages by organising and running community events and activities, and raising funds for charitable purposes.

SEE WHAT WE DO

International

ROTARY’S IMPACT ABROAD

Rotary responds to natural disasters around the world with temporary shelters and access to potable water. We also fund health and education projects in developing countries.

Rotary’s campaign to rid the world of the debilitating disease polio reached another milestone when the World Health Organisation certified Africa as wild-polio free. Only in Pakistan and Afghanistan does the wild poliovirus remain endemic.

Connections

COMBINING OUR SKILLS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE

With members from all walks of life, we meet regularly to talk, share ideas and develop events and opportunities to help our community.

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Latest News

A spectacle not to be missed

Wednesday 23rd July 2025 is the day Harpenden Common will come alive with 1000 classic cars, motorbikes and scooters for the 31st annual CLASSICS ON THE COMMON, organised by ROTARY IN HARPENDEN.

Entry is FREE for spectators but visitors to the show give generously to the bucket collections in aid of charity. More than £30,000 is raised regularly for national, local and children’s charities.

The show runs from 11.30am till dusk.

It’s a spectacle not to be missed.

Emergency lifting chair ‘a great success’ for Community First Responders

In September 2024 Rotary in Harpenden supplied the town’s Community First Responders (CFRs) with a much-needed emergency lifting chair. The CFRs’ role is to provide crucial emergency medical assistance before the arrival of an ambulance.

‘The Raizer lifting chair, which can be easily assembled by a single CFR, has been used many times with great success to help non-injured patients get off the floor safely and comfortably,’ said Vivienne Ford, team leader of the Harpenden CFR team. ‘It has made a real difference in ensuring a quick and dignified lift for those who need it.’

US$60,000 scholarship for post-graduate study

There is currently an amazing opportunity being offered by Rotary District 1260 (Beds, Bucks and Herts) and District 1130 (London).

Each Rotary club in these two districts can put forward one applicant to apply for a grant of up to US$60,000 for a postgraduate student to study in Melbourne, Australia, in 2026.

Lions score again

Harpenden Lions Club chalked up a 12th victory at this year’s Harpenden Quiz of Quizzes, staged by Rotary in Harpenden at St George’s School. The runners-up were Odds and Ends.

As well as giving quizzers a stimulating evening, the event has become noted for its interval hot suppers, produced by the renowned Godfrey’s and served at the quizzers’ tables.

For Shoebox read Friendship Box

Just a few of the many photos we have received from Rotarians in Lviv, a major city in west Ukraine, where our first Friendship Boxes, filled with educational and recreational items, were delivered in time for Christmas to children most affected by the war.

Judges give advice in Debating Contest

Before an audience of parents and teachers, teams from Harpenden’s senior schools debated subjects of their own choice in the annual Youth Speaks: The Debate contest. Organised by Rotary in Harpenden, the event was held at Aldwickbury Park Golf Club.

Harpenden Quiz of Quizzes
7th March

Young Citizen Award
7th May

Photography Competition
May

Dragons’ Den
June

Classics on the Common
23rd July

Friendship Boxes
October

Mock Interviews
November

Technology Tournament
November

Carol Concert
December

Harpenden

International

Connections