3rd January 1999

It is best to telephone first in case our meeting activity is taking place elsewhere - in recent months we have been go-karting, visited the Black Sheep brewery, visited other local Round Tables, and taken part in various sporting activities.

You can contact Richmond Round Table by telephoning the communications officer on 01748 850051.

Some images of Richmond Round Table's recent activities

Christmas is a busy time for Richmond Round Table. Every year, tablers assist Santa in the distribution of several hundred presents in Richmond, and in surrounding villages. Pictured here are three children from the nearby village of Melsonby sitting on Santa's sleigh. The tradition of helping Santa to visit the local villages has been going for so long that several members of the round table can themselves remember being taken by their parents to receive a present! Round Tablers hire a coach to go round the villages, but Santa travels on his sleigh. Needless to say, the coach is warmer, and as well as all the presents, carries the liquid refreshment!





Each year,members of Richmond Round Table attend the National Sporting Weekend and (as you can see from the photograph) we participate in all the sporting events!











For the last three years running, Richmond Round Table have won the "Comic" section of the Annual Richmond Meet Carnival. Pictured here is last year's entry, Star Wars.

You may have already come across Round Table at some time . Or know someone who is a member . Maybe you know it through its charity work in the local community, such as organising local carnivals, Bonfire Night celebrations and collections in aid of Children in Need. But its community activities are, as you will see, only part of its purpose .

Round Table is an organisation open to all men aged between 18 and 40, regardless of race, politics or religion. lt has over 20,000 members throughout the country and few people will be out of reach of a local branch .

Round Table provides a forum for young men from different work and social backgrounds to meet informally with others from the same town or community. A Table will usually have between 10 and 30 members who will organise social , sporting and community activities in their own area .

Social activities usually take place 2 evenings a month, generally at a local pub. In winter, social activities may include quizzes between neighbouring Tables, snooker, table tennis , darts , and so on . In summer there is more emphasis on outside activities, such as cycling, cricket, bowls tennis, football, raft racing, mountain climbing sailing, orienteering, treasure hunts, barbecues all depending on the interests of the members of the Table concerned.

There are also national and internationa events , including a National Sporting Weekend at which Tablers from all over the country meet to take part in a full range of individual and team sports .

"Why do people join Round Table?"

For many, membership of Round Table is like a passport. lt guarantees them a warm welcome whenever they are visiting a strange town , whether in this country or abroad. Those who have to move home regularly with theirjobs value Round Table as an instant introduction to the community they are moving into . More important, it provides a ready made circle of friends.

Tablers wives and girlfriends can also make new friends through the Ladies Circle, which organises joint functions with Round Table as well as having its own programme of activities. For most Tablers it is the mix, of social sporting and community activities that makes membership rewarding. The chance to have fun, make friends and, along the way, contribute to improving the quality of life in their own community.

"How do I find out more (without committing myself)?"

If you would like to find out for yourself whether Round Table is for you, just call (or write to) a member of your local Round Table, whose name and number your will find on the back of this brochure. (If you have any problems making contact, then call us at Round Table's national office on 0121 456 4402 . We shall be happy to put you in touch with the right person.

You do not need to know a current member to come along to meetings and you do not need to join straight away; you can attend as a guest, with no obligation, until you are sure whether or not the Round Table is really for you .

How it Began

Round Table was started in 1927 by Louis Marchesi, who was a young member of Rotary in Norwich . Frustrated at not being given responsibility or the opportunity to earn recognition, he formed the idea of an organisation which would be open only to young men under the age of 40. Although it grew out of Rotary, and was comple- mentary to it, Round Table was then and remains a totally independent Association.

The name "Round Table" was taken from a speech by the late Duke of Windsor when, as Prince of Wales, he opened the British Industries Fair in 1927 by saying "The young business and professional men of the country must get together round the table, adopt methods that have proved so sound in the past, adapt them to the changing times and, wherever possible, improve them".

... You CAN find out more