Those not-so-dotty Rotarians of London

Those who think Rotary Clubs are fuddy duddy talking shops of retired bank managers, think again! The Rotary Club of London – the first such club in Britain when it was set up more than a century ago – has burnished its modernising credentials by joining the "Dot London" family with a brand new website at www.rotary.london. The London club has always had a taste for the new: women have played a major role in the club since they were first admitted to Rotary in 1989, and to date, London has already had four female Club presidents. Traditionally organised around weekly lunch meetings, a programme of additional evening meetings has just been launched in response to the working practices of a new generations of members.

The London club regularly welcomes visitors from all over the world. The new website provides constantly updating information about activities and events, enabling members and visitors to plan and book ahead. Club president Clive Amos writes a regular blog while videos and updates are posted on the linked Google+, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter social media channels.

Clive Amos and his communications chief Kaz Aston are strong advocates of renewal. "As the oldest Rotary club in London we must learn from the past but we must not dwell there," Amos comments. "We have an obligation to lead the way. To continue our humanitarian service we must look at new ways of organising our affairs." Change, then, for a purpose: the idea of community service remains Rotary's driving force. For many years the London club has given support to hospices and charities around the capital, including arranging biennial holidays in Switzerland for pupils of Oak Lodge school for children with hearing difficulties. Building on that tradition, the club has recently launched a new partnership with the Centre Point charity for the homeless.

The club's new website and social media channels were developed by Images&Co, a design company usually better known for innovations in smart cities and the internet of things, and building websites for market leading brands like the newly refurbished Café Royal hotel in Regent Street. Images&Co's Kasper de Graaf pointed out that advanced technologies have much to offer an organisation like Rotary. "Good tech is for normal people, not just for techies, and the cleverer we get, the more that has to be true," he says. "Websites now are so much easier on all devices. Rotary has members from all ages, nationalities and backgrounds. The web is no substitute for human contact, but it can enhance the way we do everything if we remember to put people first."

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For further information, please contact Kaz Aston by email at misskaston@gmail.com or by phone on 07768 904878