Rotary Club of Inverness celebrates centenary as chairman praises members for their response to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic
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Rotarians in Inverness are preparing to mark their club’s centenary having adapted to the challenges of maintaining links during the coronavirus pandemic – including raising £18,000 for good causes.
The Rotary Club of Inverness first met in October 1921.
With present-day members recently holding their first face-to-face lunchtime meeting since the beginning of coronavirus restrictions in March 2020, centenary president Alan Nelson reflected on how the club had quickly adapted to the pandemic.
Members had managed to meet online each week using Zoom and provided some volunteer help.
Although all normal social and fundraising activities had to stop, members contributed the money they would have spent on lunch, along with funds from club reserves, to support several local charities and disaster relief work abroad.
This had amounted to about £18,000.
"I am extremely proud of how the members of our club have responded to what has been the most extreme and sudden peacetime challenge to social and economic activity in recent times," Mr Nelson said.
"In moving to new ways of working online, we managed to keep fellowship within the club and remain active on at least some of our usual charity and community support projects."
He added: "One unexpected outcome of moving online was that we could obtain speakers from much further away, including a couple of live broadcasts from people abroad, who could not possibly travel to Inverness for a short lunchtime presentation.
"On one memorable occasion they saw TV correspondent Alan Fisher live from outside the White House as the Trump era was coming to an end!"
The club is now holding meetings in Jurys Inn Hotel in Millburn Road, where it hopes to create facilities to continue meeting in person but also have some speakers online.
"This may also allow the few members who cannot attend meetings in person, for health or business reasons, to attend for the speaker and business parts of our meeting," Mr Nelson said.
The club, which has held several events since the summer to celebrate the centenary, met outside Eden Court Theatre for a group photo.
It will be used in a centenary booklet.
The club is also having a celebration dinner on October 30 in the Kingsmills Hotel.
Mr Nelson added: "Rotary has prospered in Inverness over the last 100 years and we continue to work to sustain a club which will endure a further 100 years."
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