THE Rotary club – for decades an exclusively male preserve – is undergoing a transformation.

The international organisation raises millions of pounds for charity each year and is now spreading its wings and adapting to the needs of the 21st century... albeit slowly.

Rotary International was founded by Chicago lawyer Paul Harris in 1905 and has gone on to become the biggest philanthropic organisation in the world.

Until 1989, it was a strictly men-only organisation.

Even now, some Essex clubs have yet to welcome their first female Rotarians, while others, like Thorpe Bay Rotary Club, now have a fairly even balance of the sexes.

Sandra Allen is a good example of the kind of woman now increasingly playing a leading role in the organisation.

Mrs Allen, 58, of Foxmead, Thundersley, joined in 1994 and became Britain’s first female Rotary district governor, when she took over the Essex post in 2005.

A member and past president of the Thorpe Bay club, she currently serves as club formation officer, with responsibility of helping new clubs start up in the area.

She said: “Things have changed.

“We are looking for younger people, in their thirties and forties, to get rid of the image of tired, old, men-only dining clubs.

“It is a great organisation, where you can get together with like-minded people and have fun, while doing something you feel passionate about for the community.

“The way I see it is if you are an ideas type of person and you want to fulfill your potential, with the Rotary Club, whatever you dream up, we can put into action.”

One of the things Mrs Allen “dreamed up” was the annual Foulness Bike Ride.

She said: “I started that 13 years ago and now we have 2,000 riders and raise between £25,000 and £40,000 a year for local charities.”

Rotary – sometimes described by critics as a kind of watered-down form of Freemasonry – is no longer steeped in ritual and ceremony. Mrs Allen says: “Nowadays, people just meet up for coffee or a chat.

“We have energetic, professional people who want to come together to do something for the community which will make a difference.

“People feel passionate about that and the Rotary Club can offer them that opportunity.”

Mrs Allen’s next project is to set up a Rotary club in Hadleigh.

A meeting is being organised for September 16 to allow anyone interested in joining to learn more about Rotary.

For more details, call Mrs Allen on 01268 750527 or e-mail sandra@intune.me.uk