The 80th Anniversary Charter Evening

On the 4th of April, 200 the Rotary Club of Sheffield celebrated its 80th Anniversary Charter Evening in the company of many distinguished guests.

The first club luncheon took place on 23rd September 1919 and the Charter (No. 24) is dated 24th October 1919.

The newly formed club provided a Christmas treat for the estimated 5,000 war widows and orphans at the end of the first World War and obtained employment for 1,500 of the orphans over the next few years.

In 1921, the first summer tented camp was organised for disadvantaged children from Sheffield. More substantial facilities were provided in a fresh location at Shatton in 1923 and a permanent camp site on 29.5 acres (purchased for £600) was opened in Castleton in 1937. Apart from the war years 1939/45, the camp has continued ever since and apart from giving summer holidays to needy boys - and more recently girls - from Sheffield it is in constant use by youth organisations, schools, mentally and physically handicapped groups, etc on a hiring basis from March to November.

A further development came in 1951 when the annual Castleton international camp was inaugurated providing for groups of young men - and recently women - from Europe to spend two weeks together seeing something of the British Way of life.

Later developments at what is now known as the Castleton Rotary Centre have included the provision of a stone built dormitory block costing £80,000 in 1980 and a communal building costing £70,000 in 1985. The project has generated substantial support from the Sheffield District Council lottery, the Variety Club of Great Britain, the Scouts Christmas Postal Service in 1984, the BBC Children in Need appeal in 1985, the Sheffield Marathon in 1987 and many local charitable trusts.

Another very substantial project was the opening of a head injuries convalescent unit in 1975. This is a purpose built unit costing £80,000 and the only one of its kind at the time in the area beween Birmingham and Scotland. It was handed over to the Hospital Board in 1979.

During its life the Club has been honoured by the fact that it had one of its members elected in 1935 as President of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland, namely the late Past President Edwin Robinson. Five of its members have served the district as District Governor. The Club has also sponsored four new clubs in Sheffild - Hallam (1955), Abberdale (1958), Wortley (1974) and Vulcan (1979).

The Club celebrated its 75th anniversary with a charity dinner on 12th January in 1995 attended by 250 guests and in alternative years organises well attended sportsman's dinners and charity golf tournaments which raise substantial sums of money for local causes