A FUND of good stories and pictures of the past were the contribution that Bill Masefield made to the 50th Anniversary celebrations of the Rotary Club of Ledbury.

Bill, the one remaining active founder member of the club, refreshed memories and entertained the members and guests with a potted history of the club.

In recognition of Bill Masefield's 50 years service, the club presented him with a special service award.

The Rotary Club of Hereford sponsored the formation of the club with George Hill being the first president and with a membership of 26 local people. Acting as a catalyst for change the club started up the Evergreen Club in 1959, followed by the Community Minibus in 1960, and a restart of the Carnival in 1972.

Fund raising was launched in the early 60s when the popular wine and cheese evenings were held in Eastnor Castle and in 1973 Ken Davies initiated the twinning, with Doue La Fontaine, that built many friendships across the Channel.

Since then the club has been involved, often at the instigation of Idris Lewis, with raising funds at the Steam Rally, running marathons and tackling bike rides to France.

While the club has given priority to supporting the local community, in recent years, it has also taken on board two serious international projects; the Polio Plus Eradication campaign and the Tobago Footcare project.