It’s all change at the top as local chartered accountant, Paul Davies, from Longwick, Buckinghamshire, who dedicates his spare time to doing good in the local community takes up the reins as president of Thame and District Rotary.
Paul was welcomed as the new president of Rotary Club on the 30th of June during an online meeting. Paul has been a Rotarian for over 20 years and his commitment to the club has earned the respect of fellow members who were only too pleased to vote him in as their new president for 2021-2022. In his Rotary career, Paul was President of Gerrards Cross & Chalfont St Peter Rotary Club in the nineties, and Chairman of Gerrards Cross & the Chalfonts Round Table in the eighties, during which he spent 25 years driving the Christmas Float for both organisations.
Paul said: “I am delighted to become the new president of our wonderful club. It’s going to be still an exciting year, as hopefully we will be coming out of the pandemic. We’re hoping to be able to go out and about in support of our communities in Thame and surrounding villages. Provided it will be safe to do so, we will restart our traditional events as well as start new projects. We will be looking for inspired and enthusiastic women and men to join one of our club formats: Phoenix Community Club focused on volunteering for local communities and our classic format centred around fellowship. We have a lot of fun and really enjoy ourselves, on top of all the volunteering we do, and would love to hear from anyone interested in joining us and making a real difference to their community.”
“I am looking forward to meeting and working with local groups and really getting people involved with Rotary. There is so much to do and enjoy.”
The charities to be supported in 2021-2022 include: Cancer Research, Oxfordshire Mind, Thame Youth Projects, Tools for Self-reliance and ShelterBox.
Paul Davies, 72, was born in Northumberland, attended Aberystwyth University where he gained a BSc in Maths and Statistics. He became a Chartered Accountant in 1973 and after an International Career in Oil & Gas and Electronics, has been running his own business since 1987. He has lived in Longwick for the past 11 years with wife Cathy together with two horses, various chickens, two cats, and currently in course of acquiring two pregnant alpacas. Son Alan, Daughter Alana, son in law Richard, and two grandchildren, Jacob, 15 and Elodie, 12, also live in Longwick.
Paul is a member of the Oxford Welsh Male Choir. He is the Twinning officer for the Thames Valley Society of Chartered Accountants twinned with the Society of Chartered Accountants in Normandy, France, a Patron of London Welsh RFC, a Vice President of Crawshays RFC and a member of the Cardiff & County Club.
During the time of the pandemic, Rotary Club of Thame & District and Phoenix Community Club members have continued supporting the local community, have been meeting safely online and have been welcoming 10 new members since March 2020. The clubs’ doors are largely open to welcome new volunteer members.
To find out more about the Rotary Club of Thame & District or Phoenix Community Club or how to join, please visit www.thame.rotary1090.org or www.facebook.com/thamerotary or www.facebook.com/phoenixcommunityclubthame or www.instagram.com/thame.rotary or www.instagram.com/phoenixcommunityclub
