It is with great sadness that we record the death of Peter Brainwood, who passed away recently at the age of 92.
Peter joined Rotary in 1994, following his involvement with Round Table, as did many members of our Club. Over more than three decades he became an integral part of the life and character of the Club, serving as Club President in 2002 and contributing to numerous committees and Club activities over the years.
On Thursday 10 September, Corin and Kevin went to Boreham Bowling Club to play Chelmer Bridge B in the final of the District 1240 bowls competition.
The result was Chelmer Bridge 11 : Grays 25. In other words, we won the thing.
Well done Grays Thurrock!
The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock held its annual Charity Golf Day on 18 August at Orsett Golf Club, welcoming an impressive field of 115 golfers for a superb day of sport, fellowship, and fundraising.
The weather provided ideal playing conditions — fine, dry, and cooler than recent weeks — making it a perfect day for golfers to enjoy the beautifully presented course.
The Club’s Youth Services Team has enjoyed another highly successful year and is already planning next year’s programme.
Across the different events, around 500 students took part, demonstrating creativity, teamwork and impressive talent.
On July 31st 2026, President Dave Wheatley and Rotarian Bob Paterson attended the Summer Garden Party at Meadowview Ward, Thurrock Hospital.
This event was to showcase the ward’s fundraising achievements and transformation of the ward into a more dementia-friendly environment.
Our Club President Dave has recently visited clubs in New Zealand where they have a Pot Luck Supper as a social event. Every member is welcome and all you have to bring, apart from yourselves is an item of food and the drink to share on the buffet table. It would appear this also happens to some clubs in the UK where they are held on a Friday and called TGIF (Thanks Goodness it's Friday).
So Dave organised one for Grays Thurrock …
The Club has rewarded long serving member Peter Brainwood with Honorary Membership of the Club. Past President Paul Smith recently made the award at Peter's home. Peter was a recent recipient of a Long Service Award, was a former President and until recently was our Dinner Secretary.
The new Rotary Year starts on the 1st July and so it’s all change at the Club. Today was the handover from the existing to the new President and it also marked the last Thursday lunchtime meeting the Club will hold at Orsett Hall.
Twenty‑three members and guests of the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock enjoyed a fantastic social evening on Tuesday 9 June as we travelled to Chelmsford for the T20 clash between Essex Men and Kent Spitfires.
The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock was delighted to host the 65th Tripartite of the Rotary Clubs of Iserlohn, Voorschoten‑Leidschendam and Grays Thurrock, and extended a very warm welcome to everyone who attended.
The weekend was held from 15 to 17 May 2026 but many of our guests stayed in the UK for longer and visited London.
Since 1 January 2025, we have donated £38,503 to charities and good causes.
Every pound of this has come from the incredible generosity of the people and businesses of Thurrock, and from the hard work of our volunteers throughout the year. Thank you — your support allows us to make a real difference in our community.
Here’s how your contributions have helped…
On Wednesday 1st June the Club organised an annual ‘Rotary Children's Fun Day’ day by taking on a hot and sunny day, two coach loads full of children, their carers’ and teachers from Treetops School to Adventure Island and the Sealife Centre at Southend-on-Sea, Essex for an enjoyable day out.
As for many years in the past, our Club has been giving disabled and disadvantaged young people the chance to enjoy new experiences, taste adventure and have a fun day out and we are glad to say we achieved the objective.
Each year the Club organises for members a mystery trip to a secret location to enjoy fellowship, good food and drink and the possibility of learning a little about another country or city. The unique point about the trip is that the destination is kept totally secret to everyone but the organisers until we’re on the bus to the airport, though we are given some indication of climate and currency in advance.
Well where did we go to on 20th April? Answer – Albania.
Member of the Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock, 12 November 1998 – 5 February 2026
Club President 2017–2018 • Paul Harris Fellow (2022)
The Rotary Club of Grays Thurrock is deeply saddened to announce the passing of Steve Payne, a devoted family man, a skilled craftsman, a committed sportsman, and an exceptional Rotarian whose contribution to our club and community will be remembered for many years to come. Steve died on 5 February 2026, having faced his illness with the same courage, clarity, and quiet determination that defined his life.
The Club would like to thank all the young Artists for entering this year’s competition. The quality of the work was outstanding.
The 2026 Young Writer competition this year proved particularly demanding for the judges, given the exceptionally high standards. As a result, choosing the winner was no easy task. Nonetheless, the judges ultimately reached consensus on both the first and second place recipients, whose names are listed below.
Junior Section: Winner Ethan Morgan Tilbury Pioneer Academy
2nd place Jessica Stefan Lansdowne Primary Academy
Intermediate Section Winner Lucy McCaul Mossbourne Portside Academy
2nd Place Lucas Bilby Hathaway Academy
Plane Launcher
This year’s competition was a great success, with eight teams taking part from a range of schools across Thurrock. The event was held at the prestigious Tilbury Cruise Terminal, which proved to be an ideal venue due to its spacious facilities.
The students’ task this year was to design and build a plane launcher. The aim was to launch a paper plane from a ramp and achieve the greatest possible distance before it touched the ground.
The results for the Young Photographer competition of 2026 are now available.
