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Members of the Rotary Club of Derby are celebrating their 90th anniversary during 2008.

The club, which was founded in 1918 by 26 men including the famous printer, Cheney Bemrose, will be staging a fund-raising anniversary concert at Derby Cathedral.

Members will also be undertaking their usual street collections and other fund-raising events which mean that, annually, they can donate more than £14,000 to charities.

Current president John England said he was proud that the club had reached the milestone.

The 59-year-old, of Castle Hill, Duffield, said: “It’s a great achievement. We work together as a team and achieve an awful lot. It’s something to be tremendously proud of.”

Locally, the club supports the Rainbows Children’s Hospice, Derbyshire Children’s Holiday Centre and the Padley Centre.

Internationally, the club raises cash for WaterAid, Jaipur Limb, a project that provides artificial limbs for people in developing countries, and Practical Aid.

In the club’s first year, records show that funds were given to the Red Cross to help it with soldiers returning from the First World War.

And, on February 6, 1921, it was recorded that members had raised cash to pay for scholarships for four boys from poor backgrounds to attend Derby School.

• Do you have memories of Derby Rotary Club? Have you or your organisation been helped by the club in the past? Add your comments by going to the Edit link at the top of the page.

After reading the above article, Peter Seddon sets the ball rolling by submitting the two photographs below:

Peter Seddon writes: My father Alexander Seddon (1920-2003) was a senior partner with the Derby Chartered Accountancy firm R. J. Weston & Co., whose offices were at Probate House in St. Mary's Gate. He was a member of Derby South Rotary Club, who I believe usually met at La Gondola Restaurant. The photograph above was taken when Derby South entertained some overseas counterparts, probably in the 1970s or early 1980s at a lunchtime function. The venue may well be La Gondola.

On the table are the pennants of Springfield South, Illinois, U.S.A. and Osnabruck North. I can identify only two of those present. Alexander 'Alick' Seddon is sitting at the table second right, behind the Derby South pennant, and next to him on the end is George Hardy, who some will remember as a former chairman of Derby County. Please add any more names you may know.

The above was evidently an evening function, possibly at the Pennine Hotel, and again is likely to date from the 1970s or early 1980s. Three names are known. Back row on the right is George Hardy. Standing middle row sixth left is Alexander Seddon, and next to him (eyes closed) is Norman Elliott, a former headmaster of Derby School. If you know any missing names, please add them here.

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County:  Derbyshire

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