The big story
SEPTEMBER 2026People
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


Disaster response
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

Community
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

Environment
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

Education
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
Health
September 2026
Young people
September 2026
Health
September 2026
End polio
By dave king
Community
September 2026
People making a difference

People
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.
By DAVE KING

Humanitarian action
A joint fundraising initiative between the Rotary Club of Borderlands and Scottish Borders Council has funded a new ShelterBox to support families affected by the recent earthquakes in Venezuela.

Community
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

Education
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

Education
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
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
