A NORTHWICH club is celebrating its milestone of silver service in the community and across the globe as well as 25 years of friendship and fun.

Since it was founded in September 1990, the Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal has raised around £500,000 for projects and charities at home and abroad through events that have become a staple in the Northwich calendar.

Northwich Beer Festival, Mid Cheshire Scooter Rally and Santa's grotto are among the familiar events that the club has had a hand in, as well as competitions for young people like Youth Speaks, Young Chef, Youth Present Music and Young Enterprise.

Trevor Meech, who was club president in 1995/6 and is a founder member, said: "The Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal has certainly lived up to Rotary International's motto of 'Service Above Self' while also demonstrating their own current Rotary theme of 'We're for Communities'.

"The members are a group of ordinary people doing extraordinary things to help others in the local community and beyond."

The club developed from the Rotary Club of Northwich, which formed in 1922 and meets on Monday lunchtime.

Members saw that they needed to create a second club in Northwich because of the amount of people moving into the area and changing working patterns meaning people in business were less able to take time out for a lunchtime meeting.

A set of inaugural meetings started in February 1990.

Keith Hinde, a pharmacist with Boots, in Northwich, was the club's first president, David Seddon, who worked for Cheshire Social Services, was appointed secretary and Steve Kirk, manager of Yorkshire Bank, was treasurer.

The club received its official charter on September 26, 1990.

Keith Hinde said: "The Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal, meeting in the evening, provided a chance to be involved in all sorts of activities and interests, including community service and fundraising, with like-minded men and women.

"Personally for me it followed on from some years in Round Table and perhaps it was that qualifying experience which led me to the presidency surrounded by a team of talented people from many walks of life.

"I often think the strength of service clubs such as Rotary is the pool of talent which they have to draw upon for the benefit of the community."

The club's early activities included running a roll-a-dice stall at the 1990 Northwich Festival in Verdin Park, a Recyclabike project which refurbished bikes for deserving Northwich children in time for Christmas and the first fundraiser, the Rotary Charity Auction at the memorial hall.

Internationally the club organised a convoy of food and aid to help two orphanages, an old people's home and a hospital in Romania in 1992, then more aid, food and an ambulance a few years later.

During its 25 years it has helped survivors of disasters, including the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004, joined in projects, like funding eye camps and cataract operations in Kenya, and funded global exchange visits for young people as part of Rotary International.

Its support has crossed generations - from funding days out for the area's schoolchildren in the 'Urban Kids Go Outdoors' project to holding an annual pensioners' party.

The club also arranges social events and challenges like coast-to-coast cycles and sailing weekends for its members.

Trevor said: "I moved to Hartford in 1987 with my job and at this time both my wife and I were looking for activities that would enable us to meet other local people, make friends and also put something back into the community.

"My wife joined the PTA at Hartford High School and I was asked by a neighbour if I would be interested in joining the new Rotary Club of Northwich Vale Royal, which I did.

"The rest, as they say, is history, as we now have a large number of friends within the local area, many of who came from those two associations.

"At the same time Rotary has given me immense pleasure by enabling me to be able to help others, particularly those less fortunate then ourselves, while also enjoying tremendous fun and friendship."

Currently the club is bucking the national trend as it has a steady increase in its membership.

It has 37 full members, three associate members and a number of 'friends of Rotary'.

It is holding an open evening for people to find out more which also includes a talk by historian Colin Edmondson called 'The River Weaver Through the Ages'.

This takes place at Wincham Hall Hotel at 7.30pm on October 21.

For more information about the club or to book for the open evening email rcnvr@btinternet.com or visit rcnvr.co.uk.