AN ALLOA club has received a significant award while welcoming an unprecedented number of new members.

Alloa Rotary Club has received The Rotary Citation, the most significant award a club of its kind can achieve.

Sent by Rotary international president Gordon McInally, the award recognises the club’s work over the last year.

Last year’s president Lindsey Spowage thanked members who helped the club meet all of its goals, indeed surpassing some set at the beginning of 2023-24.

Lindsey said: “This is not an award for me, as president, but recognises all the hard work put in by our various project teams across a busy year which also included our 75th anniversary event.

“I’d also like to recognise the outreach work by members who, as sponsors, helped with our successful recruitment drive, allowing us to meet membership targets and help secure our future.”

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Meanwhile, the club has welcomed eight new members since May, five joining at the recent August meeting.

John Allan, president for this year, said: “It is somewhat unusual to welcome so many new members at one time, but our recent membership drive has been very successful.

“The newcomers are delightfully diverse, three women and five men, with a wide range of life experience and a bonus, they significantly lower the average age of our membership – helping us to plan for a long and purposeful future serving our community and projects overseas.”

And Rotarian Gordon Guthrie also received the Andrew Nicol Quaich for his outstanding service over the last year.

The fine silver quaich was bequeathed to the club by Mr Nicol, a businessman still remembered well by many and a past president of the club in 1970-71, so it can be awarded annually.

Lindsey, last year’s president, presented the award and said: “Gordon has given me a great deal of support and has been the voice of positivity at every turn.

“He has taken considerable initiative in bringing funds in to support the work of the club. He has played an active, and indeed a leadership role in too many projects to list, and as a convenor, and now president elect, has accepted responsibility while humbly learning the ropes.”