Message from our President.
I am delighted to serve as the President of St Albans Rotary Verulamium Club. I had considered volunteering for Rotary for many years, but I needed more time to inquire further. A few years ago, however, my friend Neil Harris invited me to speak about my birthplace, Chile—a magical place where Rotary's presence is evident everywhere, with large and small plaques of Rotary International.
The name was not new to me, but I've often wondered why so many people today know so little about the incredible work Rotary does around the globe. Our club in St Albans was chartered in 1976, and since then, we have raised over half a million pounds to support local charities. I am incredibly proud of this work. Rotary is open to everyone, regardless of age—what truly matters is having the desire to lend a helping hand to those in greater need than ourselves.
I have volunteered for many charities, including the Anglo-Chilean Society based at the Embassy of Chile, the Anglo-Latin American Foundation, which raises funds for impoverished children in Latin America, and the Chilean Red Cross in the town where I grew up. I was also honoured to receive the Freedom of the City of London in 2016 and become a Liveryman for the Worshipful Company of Carmen. All of these organisations provide invaluable relief and support to those in need. Our work relies on raising funds to support both local and international charities. We need local businesses to sponsor us and more volunteers to help with community projects. We are a friendly group, so come and join us.
Please email me at claudio@durans.co.uk or call 07789 485052.
- Claudio Duran
There are many ways to get involved with Rotary:
Please donate online by visiting our Just Giving page. You can make a one off donation or make regular donations. All your money goes to Charities. Thank You.
Need more information please email
our treasurer.
If you are keen to get involved why not come along to a meeting? We meet at 7:00pm to dine at 7:30pm every Tuesday at:
Old Albanian Sports Club,
Woollam Playing Fields,
160 Harpenden Road,
St Albans,
AL3 6BZ
Please feel free to contact us at any time by emailing our Membership Secretary Ron Smith - Click Here
Our Club Emblem - Venus
We are one of two Rotary clubs in St Albans and take our name from the roman city of Verulamium founded on the ancient celtic site of Verlamion - “settlement above the marsh”. After the Roman invasion of AD43, it was renamed Verulamium and became the third largest Roman city in Britain.
Our club emblem is a bronze statue of Venus found in the excavations of the 1930’s by Mortimer Wheeler and is housed in the wonderful museum of Verulamium. Read More