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Rotary Magazine · Great Britain & IrelandRead the September issue

The big story

SEPTEMBER 2026

People

Dolly Parton: a legacy beyond music

Dolly Parton was a global music icon, but her legacy reaches far beyond the stage. Her Imagination Library has delivered more than seven million books to children in the UK, with Rotary part of that remarkable story for more than 15 years.

By Dave King

Dolly Parton: a legacy beyond music

This edition's picks

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When the mountain fell

Disaster response

When the mountain fell

Communities have been swept away and thousands left homeless after catastrophic flooding tore through the Himalayas. With the full scale of the disaster still emerging as Rotary Magazine went to press, humanitarian organisations supported by Rotary were preparing to provide shelter, clean water and longer-term assistance.

DAVE KING

Rotary Christmas Toy Box Appeal 2026

Community

Rotary Christmas Toy Box Appeal 2026

Despite Christmas being several months away, the Rotary Christmas Toy Box Team together with Kids in Mind charity are busy behind the scenes preparing for this year’s Rotary Christmas Toy Box Appeal.

lorna sinfield

Hands-on Rotary at Edgbaston Reservoir

Environment

Hands-on Rotary at Edgbaston Reservoir

Heart of England District,1060, brings together 43+ clubs and over 900 Rotarians in an area centred around Birmingham and the West Midlands that includes parts of Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire.

jonathan wilding

Literacy in a Box a coming of age

Education

Literacy in a Box a coming of age

What began with a simple idea 21 years ago has grown into a Rotary project bringing educational opportunity to some of the poorest communities overseas. Ian Parker, Chairman of the Literacy in a Box Trust, looks back at its journey – and ahead to its next chapter.

ian parker

Rotary in action

People making a difference

A Promise Made in Tanzania

People

A Promise Made in Tanzania

Tony and Linda Fowkes travelled to East Africa expecting breathtaking wildlife, spectacular scenery and the holiday of a lifetime. They found all three. But it was a group of young mothers they met in northern Tanzania who changed the course of the journey.

Opening the door to Rotary

Community

Opening the door to Rotary

Two young people from Newport, South Wales, had never heard of Rotary until they were selected for the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. That experience led them to Rotaract, international youth camps and lifelong friendships. Now they have produced a video to help other young people discover the same opportunities.

dave king

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Education

Don’t judge a book by its cover

In April 2018, Rotary Magazine for Great Britain & Ireland spoke to Dolly Parton about the inspiration behind her remarkable Imagination Library and Rotary’s role in helping put books into the hands of children.

Dave King

Opening doors through literacy

Education

Opening doors through literacy

From creative writing competitions and one-to-one reading sessions to community book clubs, Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland are finding different ways to encourage a lifelong love of reading and learning.

Dave king

The power of a book

Education

Writing the next chapter

Nottingham and Cleethorpes Rotary clubs have supported Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for more than a decade, distributing hundreds of thousands of books along the way. Their experience shows the impact a long-term project can have on a community, and how it can engage a new generation of Rotarians and corporate partners.

By Dave King

Writing the next chapter