Welcome to the Stonehaven Rotary Club

Nestling in a sheltered bay on the North East coast of Scotland, Stonehaven has it's origins as a fishing village built around the old High Street and has a rich heritage dating back centuries. There is a very active local Heritage Society which actively promotes the history of the township. The town has now spilled over its' natural boundaries of the rivers Cowie to the north and Carron to the south. Several new residential developments over the years at Glenury, Braehead and Ury have seen the population  grow to over 12,000. Stonehaven has many natural beauty spots such as the Dunnottar Woods, the Mineralwell, the grounds of the Ury estate, the cliffs and the busy harbour area. These provide a great attraction for walkers and ramblers and  those who enjoy the countryside throughout the year.

 Among its' famous "sons" , Stonehaven lists, Lord Reith  founder of the BBC and R W Thomson, the inventor of the pneumatic tyre. Stonehaven has many attractions such as the indoor and outdoor bowling rinks and tennis courts and, of course,  the unique heated open-air swimming pool. The  famous annual fireball ceremony  attracts thousands of visitors to the town on Hogmanay or New Years Eve.  Famous for the many high class food shops, Stonehaven has now been designated as the North-East Scotland Food Town

Rotary in Stonehaven

Formed in 1947, the Club received its Charter in January 1948 under the chairmanship of Founder President Hugh Ramsay MBE JP. At that time there were 29 members. The Club now maintains a steady level at around 48/50 members and meets for lunch every Wednesday at the Heugh Hotel, Stonehaven - 12.45 for 1.00p.m.

As one of the 87 clubs in Rotary District 1010 - North Scotland, we are actively involved in local, regional and international projects.  Our members are committed to the Rotary motto of "service above self" and  support  many groups and organisations in our community.

The Club is heavily involved with our local schools by organising activities such as the Primary Schools Quiz, the Young Chef competition, the Young Musician competition and, for older students, the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. Our members also regularly visit the sick and elderly in our local care homes with gifts of flowers and chocolates. We also help with the activities of many local organisations such as the Arthritis Care Association, Kidz Out and the Craigendargity competition for blind bowlers.

Supporting international projects overseas is also part of our regular programme. Some of our members  visited Sierra Leone where they helped with the construction of a clinic for women suffering from childbirth injuries. Recently, some of our members journeyed to Kenya to help with the building of a school and health clinic for young Maasai girls. Support for the Rotary International PolioPlus campaign which will soon rid the world of polio, is one of our ongoing projects which we support year after year. As a club we continually use our skills and enthusiasm to try to make a difference both in our community and internationally.

The Stonehaven Club is twinned with the Rotary Club of Thirsk. This twinning has been established for 26 years and each year we have alternating visits over a weekend usually in September

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