Banstead & Sutton Nonsuch Charter Night!

A new Rotary has emerged from the Banstead and Sutton Nonsuch Clubs joining forces together.

The Rotary group is the international organisation’s first new club in this part of Rotary South (District 1145) and it launched on 20th March.

Behind the scenes work has been going on for a number of months, but the new Club formally marked its milestone arrival into Rotary at a Tuesday Summer event where 60 Rotarians and guests attended the Charter ceremony.

After the Charter Presentation we were entertained by local band Atlantis which also performs as a trio. Lisa, Christian and Mike entertained us after dinner to covers with guitars and harmony vocals featuring hits from the 50s, 60s and 70s!

The growing membership of 35 has already been involved in a number of local and initiatives since last Autumn to June  including Crocus Plantings, Christmas Collections, Youth Debates, Mock Interviews, a Charity Quiz Night and a Charity Walk.

The new club’s first president, Adore Shuko has already presented her focus ad she will be supporting our community and creating a welcoming environment for everyone.

Vice President Gordon Thomas welcomed everyone to the celebration evening at Cuddington Cuddington Golf Club, where we were joined by District Governor Tm Vile and guests from the community and the Rotary Clubs of Caterham, Guildford Wey,Lymington, as well as our Corporate Rotary members from Banstead Manor We were delighted to be able to meet at Cuddington to celebrate the granting of the Rotary charter.

District Governor Tim Vile made the Charter presentation to Vice President Gordon Thomas and and praised the new Club’s progress

” This is, of course, a very special occasion — a great day in the life of your Rotary club. A day of celebration, of legacy, and perhaps just a hint of relief that all the paperwork got done on time!

As many of you know, I represent the 2,000 Rotarians across the Rotary South District. So, on behalf of every one of them — and from me personally — our warmest greetings and congratulations.

Now, this year, I set out to not do the usual DG joint visits but to have a conversation with each club on their own. Yours was the only joint visit of the 83 that I did -at your request.

Back then, on October 1st, you were still two clubs. You told me you were exploring a future together. At that stage, it was a bit like dating — holding hands in public, but not quite ready to pop the question. And now? Well, here we are — married on 20th March. No regrets, I hope!

And while it may have taken time, your approach was impressive: careful, diligent, and thorough. This wasn’t a rushed elopement; this was a well-planned union.

You researched the options, discussed the pros and cons, and landed on what we now consider the gold standard for Rotary mergers: forming an entirely new club, rather than one absorbing the other.

You followed the Guildford Wey model — a model we now recommend. Why? Because it brings new energy, a clean slate, and none of the baggage that can come with “joining someone else’s club.”

No need to adopt someone else's traditions, customs, or hear “we don’t do it that way” at every meeting. Like Guildford, you now have the freedom to reinvent, reinvigorate, and move forward with shared purpose.

Even better, you retained most of your members — a rare achievement. Let’s be honest: had one club simply joined the other, you may have lost some of your best colleagues in the process. But by becoming something new — together — you avoided that. Well done.

Now, of course, with every new beginning comes a farewell.

Together, you’ve said goodbye to 112 years of combined Rotary history: 73 years of service in Banstead and 39 years in Sutton Nonsuch. But the good news? That history doesn’t disappear. It travels with you, stitched into the fabric of your new club’s identity. You haven’t lost history — you’ve built a stronger platform upon it.

As we look around the District, there’s good news and some bad news.

Every year, some members choose to step away, and sadly, a few clubs close.

This year, I’m involved in five closures. Two of them, of course, are your former selves — purely procedural.

But we’re also saying farewell to Croydon Whitgift (26 years), Surrey Heath (4 years), and the BiPolar eClub (2 years) — all of them clubs with a history and identity.

That’s the tough bit.

The good news? We’re also chartering 4 new clubs:

Yours of course-  plus...

• Novum Beacon — our fourth club in Chichester, with 18 members (15 new rtns).

• Broadwater in Worthing — a brand new venture with 22 members (19 new rtns).

• Weybridge — who about 12 younger, working professionals, all around 39/40.

Weybridge is particularly exciting as none of them have any experience of Rotary before — and they’re up for it. That tells us something: people of that age group still want to serve. They just need that Rotary conduit, in a way that makes sense for them.

With these clubs with large numbers of new Rotarians, we need to think differently about how we mentor. These aren’t with Rotarians who’ve been in the club for 30 years — they’re eager, community-minded people who need the Rotary spirit, not the full on Rotary instruction manual!

Now, stepping back in time  — when your original clubs were founded, the members were likely all men. That was simply how things were.

Today, Rotary reflects our society — where men & women rightly play an equal part. Ideas and enthusiasm are not bound by gender -we are enhanced by our equity.

Your club has 40% female full members — well above the GB&I and District average of 28%.

And of course, while we are very much rooted in our local communities, Rotary is also global — 1.2 million members. We are the world’s largest service-based volunteer organisation.

Rotary had done some amazing stuff :-

From starting the conversation during the Second World War, which helped lead to the founding of the United Nations & the 1948 UN Charter . We’ve had observer status ever since.

More recently, of course, we’ve led the global fight against polio — and we’re nearly there. Only one other human disease has ever been eradicated.

Already our grandchildren only read about polio in books. And Rotary has made that possible.

So, in closing:

Rotary works. It changes lives. Locally, globally, and everything in between.

You’ve created a club that builds on your proud histories while looking boldly to the future. I have no doubt your founding members would be amazed — and very proud — of the Rotary Club of Banstead & Sutton Nonsuch.

You're writing the history of the future.

Well done to everyone who helped make this new club — and this moment — happen.

Congratulations. You have a truly great club.

I’d now like to present the Charter Certificate to Vice President Gordon.”

Vice President Gordon then gave a vote of thanks.

“Thank you, Tim, for the honour of presenting me with the Charter document. I promise that our new club will treasure it for ever.

Thank you also for what you have said about our merger. As you firmly recognise, this was a true merger not an absorption. When this kind of merger happens there are differences which have to be resolved such as times for meetings, who is responsible for what, and how we present the club on social media and on our website. Needless to say, all such issues have been dealt with in the greatest spirit of camaraderie. And more are sure to crop up as we progress. The best thing I have seen is the wonderful enthusiasm that all our members are showing to our newborn club. And thank you, Tim, for recognising how the merger took place as an example of the 'gold standard' by starting with a clean slate.

You did a superb job also in  reminding us what a great worldwide organisation Rotary is and how we have brought about solutions to world problems, virtually ending polio, making a major contribution to creating the United Nations organisation as well as ShelterBox which, as we discussed over dinner, you were selected to be a world ambassador and for which you show tremendous enthusiasm. 

We are all so proud and feel so privileged to be members of Rotary, the biggest charity in the world with over a million members. And we are thrilled to deliver for our local communities.

Thank you Tim for you brilliant speech and your best wishes for our future which we will do our utmost to fulfil.”

The new club meets at Cuddington Golf Club on the first and third Tuesdays of each month.

New members are welcome, and anyone interested in joining should contact us.