Today, we’re delighted to be sharing our conversation with Kevin Morris, President of the Haslemere Rotary. We met up with Kevin to find out more about the work that the Rotary does locally. But we have to confess that we were frequently side-tracked during our conversation. Kevin is one of the increasing number of people we are meeting locally who have, without doubt, gone above and beyond to help others.

Before retirement, Kevin served in the police force rising to the rank of Chief Superintendent. He reminisced about how, back in the day, he once lived in the old police station building on West Street that has now been converted into flats. However, since putting his uniform away, he has certainly not put his feet up. Far from it. This is Kevin’s second term as President of Haslemere Rotary in three years. He also helps to keep many of the defibrillators in and around Haslemere in working order as well as being Chair of the Trustees at Haslewey. What is more, every few weeks, he and his wife volunteer with Guildford Talking Newspaper for the Blind, ensuring that local news is accessible to people with visual impairments. Not only that. He also helps marshal events for Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice by tapping into a network of former police officers. And he somehow also manages to find time to help with the U3A Cooking for Men group.

His volunteering ethos and commitment to help others is certainly impressive. But this is what lies at the heart of the Rotary – people giving their time and using their skills, experience and contacts to help others and make a difference.

What is the Rotary?

The Rotary is actually a global organisation, with their headquarters in the USA. Their mission, as stated on their website is to, ‘provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill and peace through the fellowship of business, professional and community leaders.’ There are currently over 45,000 member clubs worldwide with a membership of 1.2 million individuals, known as Rotarians.

Haslemere Rotary

From simple tasks such as local litter picks, to helping to fund pioneering cancer surgery equipment in hospitals and supporting disaster relief overseas, Haslemere Rotary’s contribution is an extraordinary one.

The group meet every Wednesday but these meetings can take many different forms. Once a month, they might meet at The Mill to enjoy their monthly pub quiz. Another week, they may enjoy a walk. Another Wednesday, it may be a buffet meal. The key thing is that it is an opportunity for people to come together, share ideas and turn these ideas into practical projects.

When Ukraine have needed support, Haslemere Rotary have helped collect clothing and essential items. When the recent earthquake hit Venezuela, they were out collecting in Haslemere for ShelterBox, the disaster-relief charity which itself began as an initiative of a Rotary club in Cornwall before growing into an international organisation. And Rotary continues to play an important role in the global campaign to eradicate polio.

However, perhaps the best example of what they can achieve locally is Cut Out Cancer. This is an ambitious Rotary fundraising campaign supporting the vital work of the Royal Surrey County Hospital in Guildford. The initiative started locally through a collaboration with the Godalming Woolsack club, but by tapping into the extraordinary network of groups, the campaign quickly expanded to a number of clubs in Surrey, Sussex and further afield. For Kevin it is a powerful demonstration of what Rotary’s network can achieve. A small club working in isolation may have only been able to raise a few thousand pounds. But by combining their fundraising efforts with others, suddenly the numbers and impact is so much greater, raising impressive and genuinely life-changing six figure sums. To date, they have raised more than £270,000. Over £104,000 of this has already been given to the Royal Surrey for specialist surgical equipment.

Among the equipment already funded are two nerve-mapping devices used during throat cancer surgery. These alert surgeons when they are operating too close to nerves controlling the voice, helping to make procedures safer and quicker. Rotary funding has also helped purchase a tumour ablation system which can destroy liver tumours without the need for conventional open surgery. For many, that can mean dramatically quicker treatment and recovery times. Another piece of equipment uses ultrasound to cut bone with remarkable precision, while avoiding damage to surrounding soft tissue. Next on the list is a cell reclaimer, a machine which collects the patient’s blood during surgery, cleans it and allows it to be returned to then. The technology is staggering.

These are all highly specialised pieces of equipment that is genuinely changing patients’ experiences of surgery for the better. It is hard to think of a clearer example of local fundraising translating into something practical.

Rotary Fundraising activities

It reminded us of the ‘ripple effect’ that This is Haslemere’s newest volunteer, Colin Short talked about in his first article. Raising £270,000 hasn’t happened through one enormous event. From the simple act of selling Christmas cards, bird boxes and samosas at the Royal Surrey to marshalling at events and jangling donation boxes during street collections, all these many activities have each played their part in getting them to their current total.

In many ways, it is volunteering in its most practical form – lots of people doing a relatively small manageable thing which, collectively, adds up to something significant.

They need you!

Whilst incredibly successful as a group, what Haslemere Rotary does need is more members. The club currently only has around 20 members (split 70:30 between men and women), astonishing when you consider what they achieve. On top of that, it’s not uncommon to only find a handful of people who are able to turn out on a regular basis to help. Kevin also highlighted that, over the past two decades, Haslemere’s Rotary age profile is also getting older.

As a result, attracting new members is one of Haslemere Rotary’s biggest priorities. Kevin feels it’s a challenge faced by many traditional voluntary organisations whose memberships has dropped as working patterns have changed and lives have become increasingly hectic. His concern is simple – without new people coming forward, there is a very real possibility that it won’t be too long before Haslemere Rotary could disappear. And that would mean losing far more than a weekly Rotary meeting.

Membership hasn’t fallen because there is less to do. Far from it. If anything, the opposite is true. Kevin told us, ‘there is a misconception about what membership involves and who can join. You don’t need to be retired to join the Rotary – people are welcome whatever their age. You also don’t need to commit to attend on a weekly basis. And you certainly don’t need to arrive with years of Rotary experience under your belt.’

Haslemere Rotary already includes members from very different backgrounds and professions and Kevin is keen to broaden that even further.

New members are simply encouraged to come along, meet people and introduce themselves. It’s clear from speaking to Kevin that the rewards of signing up are immense – a chance to develop new friendships and be part of a community. But, perhaps the best argument for joining Rotary is not the weekly meetings or even the social side. It is the opportunity to actually make things happen. You might spend a few hours helping at a local event and raise money that eventually buys a piece of life-changing medical equipment. You might become involved in a project helping people in Haslemere. Or you might find yourself part of an international effort responding to a disaster thousands of miles away. And along the way, you meet people you might otherwise never have met.

Kevin's own retirement perhaps illustrates that perfectly. After a career spent in public service, he has continued finding ways to contribute - through Rotary, Haslewey Community Centre, Phyllis Tuckwell and other voluntary organisations. But organisations like Rotary cannot depend indefinitely on the same people doing more and more. They need new members, new ideas and a new generation of people prepared to get involved.

Haslemere has always been fortunate to have an extraordinary voluntary community. Wouldn't it be great if Haslemere Rotary remained part of that community for many years to come. So, if you've ever thought about volunteering locally, meeting new people or simply doing something useful with a few hours of your time, perhaps Rotary is worth another look. You may be surprised by just how much you could help achieve!