Rotary Magazine Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland

In the latest edition of Rotary Magazine, we catch up with Tom Hamblet who has had quite the start to 2024, winning the BBC show MasterChef: The Professionals. But Tom's culinary journey actually started out when he won the Rotary Young Chef competition in 2014, which was his first ever competition! A decade on, his career trajectory is set to soar. We went to find out about that first competition, his hopes for the future, and what it's like behind the scenes on one of the country's biggest cooking shows.

This edition also features stories on peace in Afghanistan, a climate change project in The Netherlands, and much more, plus your favourite regulars and club stories.

Read more stories from Rotary Magazine at www.magazine.rotarygbi.org

Rotary Magazine is new and improved for 2024, now coming to you four times a year in print, a monthly digital edition and the regular audio version packed with stories from each print edition.

This edition, we look at the story of Sir Nicholas Winton, a Rotarian and Holocaust hero who saved hundreds of children's lives during WWII. 

'Nicky', as he was known, is the subject of a new film called 'One Life', starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, which tells the remarkable story of the Kindertransport. 

Also in this edition, Hollywood star Liam Neeson becomes and honorary Rotarian, and we speak to Garreth Murrell, a Rotarian who completed a 45-day row across the Atlantic Ocean.

Within this issue of Rotary magazine, the focus is firmly on membership. The reach is wide, exploring Rotary in its various forms through the eyes of Rotarians. These articles are brimming with ideas about how we move forward and how we can inspire the next generation to join our amazing organisation.

This issue also coincides with the launch soon of the North Star project, an ambitious Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland initiative to grow membership to 60,000 by 2028.

This edition focuses on the appointment of Scotsman Gordon McInally as President of Rotary International in 2023-24, with an in-depth feature by Rotary Editor Dave King.

Gordon's Rotary theme this year is 'Create Hope in the World', but his presidential themes stretch beyond bringing peace, while also prioritising mental health and empowering girls, demonstrating the continuity of leadership.

Plus, there is also an extended feature chronicling Dave King's journey across Ukraine as he sees the impact that Rotary has had in the country during the war.

Loneliness is an often forgotten issue, but one which resonates in communities everywhere. It also impacts people of all ages. Far from being solely an issue for older generations, it is impacting the lives of young people as well.

In this edition, we take a look at how Rotary is tackling loneliness, through often simple, but extremely impactful local projects.

Plus, you'll also find stories on how Rotary has responded to the Turkey-Syria earthquake, a pirate-themed Rotary club setting sail for new horizons, and an interview with Rotarian author James Barrett, whose novel 'The Club' tells the quirky tale of a fictional Rotary club.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has prompted an amazing response from Rotarians globally, with The Rotary Foundation awarding nearly $15 million in disaster response grants to more than 270 districts worldwide.

Each of these projects has had a direct bearing on coping with the enormity of the humanitarian disaster which has followed in the wake of war in eastern Europe.

In this magazine, we reflect on the work of the Ukraine Taskforce over the past 14 months, and take a Ukrainian viewpoint on the impact of that work.