One of the leading community organisations in the town is the Rotary Club of Bourne whose members are untiring in their work for the community. Their recent efforts have included raising money for local projects, such as the Butterfield Centre, the day care meeting place for the elderly, to planting flowers and trees along the town's roadside verges.

The name Rotary was derived from the early practice of rotating club meetings to different members’ offices and their motto is "Service above self". The first Rotary emblem was a simple wagon wheel representing civilisation and movement. In 1923, the present gear wheel with 24 cogs and six spokes was adopted and in 1929, royal blue and gold were chosen as the official colours.

The movement had its beginnings with the formation of the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 23rd February 1905 by a lawyer, Paul P. Harris, and three friends, a merchant, a coal dealer, and a mining engineer. Harris wanted to promote fellowship among its members and as word spread, other businessmen were invited to join. By the end of 1905, the club had 30 members and three years later, a second club was formed in San Francisco, California.

Rotary International today is the world’s largest service organisation for business and professional people, with some 1.2 million members operating in 163 countries world-wide. In Great Britain and Ireland there are over 59,000 Rotarians in 1,816 clubs, helping those in need and working towards world understanding and peace. It is a fulfilling role, and Rotarians can become involved as much or as little as their time will allow.

Rotary clubs meet on a regular basis, which enables members build firm friendships and to volunteer their efforts to improve the quality of life in their own communities and beyond. The world’s clubs meet weekly and are non-political, non-religious, and open to all cultures, races and creeds. Club membership, by invitation, represents a cross-section of local business and professional leaders.

Rotarians initiate community projects that address many of today’s most critical issues. Clubs are autonomous and determine service projects based upon local needs, their main objective being service to the community and throughout the world.

The Rotary Club of Bourne was chartered in 1967 as Club No 1059. There are currently 38 members and five honorary members meeting every Tuesday at 1 pm in the Angel Hotel and if there is a fifth Tuesday they have an evening meeting. Rotary is 100 years old this year and to mark the centenary, members are raising funds to equip and support the new youth centre which opened in Bourne this summer as part of its policy of encouraging youth activities.

One of the club's most significant contributions in Bourne has been to create an awareness of what is being done for the town and 25 years ago they inaugurated a silver rose bowl award to be presented annually to individuals or organisations who have made a significant contribution to the local community or environment during the previous twelve months. Nominations for the award are made by members and a recipient chosen and approved by the club.

The award is made at a presentation lunch and the recipients to date have been varied, ranging from a lady street cleaner to the Lincolnshire Trust for Nature Conservation. There have been only two occasions when members decided that there was not sufficient merit for an award, in 1995 and 1999.

REVISED APRIL 2016