With a population of around 6,000 the town is an agricultural and tourist centre, and also has a number of light industries. Its sheep market is reputedly the largest one in Europe.
The town was built by the English as a garrison town during the border troubles of the mid-thirteenth century. It was burnt down on several occasions in its subsequent history, especially during the revolt of Owen Glyndwr in the fifteenth century. The remains of the original castle are still to be seen in the lower part of the town.
The main streets of the town centre still bear witness to a Georgian and early Victorian past, although behind many of the shop fronts and office premises are half timbered buildings, whose fronts were rebuilt at a later period.
The parish church, dedicated to St. Mary of the Salutation, was founded about 1250, although only the lower section of the tower is part of the original building. The chancel has a fine painted ceiling of the fifteenth century, and the early Victorian stained glass is particularly noticeable.
Powis Castle, to the west of the town, is the home of the Earls of Powis, though it is now owned by the National Trust. The Castle is open to the public, with a famous Long Gallery, but the hanging gardens and grounds make it one of the most important landscapes in Great Britain. (Info supplied by Rotarian the Rev. Roger Brown).
Functionally, Rotary is an association of local clubs gathered into a larger organisation called "Rotary International". The individual Rotarian - the heart and soul of Rotary - is a member of a local club; all clubs are members of Rotary International, which is headquartered at Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Officially, Rotary is defined as "an organisation of business and professional persons united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world."
Specifically, a Rotary club is composed of business and professional persons in a community who have accepted the ideal of Service as a basis for attaining fulfillment in their personal, professional and community lives. In fact, the ideal of Service, exemplified in the motto "Service Above Self", is the thread that runs throughout the Rotary world and unites like-minded people in thought and action, no matter what part of the world they live in.
Now, more than 1.3 million service-minded men and women belong to more than 25,000 Rotary clubs in 172 countries and geographical areas.
The Rotary movement was born on the 23rd of February 1905, when founder Paul Harris, then a young Lawyer who felt somewhat lost and alone in the sprawling city of Chicago, USA, met with three friends to discuss the idea of Rotary. Little did he foresee in 1905 that this would spread into the World-Wide movement it is today. The first clubs to be formed in Great Britain were in London and Manchester in 1911.
A successful and rewarding effort by the club was the publishing of a booklet, 'Welshpool 100 Years Ago', in May 1993. This was the re-print of a detailed booklet by the late Canadian Senator Rupert Davies, who was born in Welshpool. He became a successful newspaper owner in Toronto, and later high sheriff of Montgomeryshire. For a time Senator Davies lived in Brookland Hall and Leighton Hall.
Over the years the Welshpool club has given generously to numerous over-seas and local charities, including Polio Plus, donations to encourage self help water supply and food growing schemes. Also projects to combat eye disease and deafness.
Such efforts include sending funds to St. James' School for the Deaf in Gambia to provide appropriate tools for pupils. Over the years a number of donations have been made to Boy Scout and Girl Guide centre's in Wales.
In 1991 we donated £500 to Hope House Children's Hospice appeal, and we have continued to support Hope House right up to the current year. Other generous donations have been made to The Welshpool Royal Victoria Memorial Hospital for the purchase of equipment, also the Heulwen Trust which provide canal trips for disabled persons. The Abbeyfield society, Welshpool, was awarded a further £500, and the Red Cross received funds towards the cost of specialist vehicles for the disabled.
The Rotary Club of Welshpool annually supports the collection of Rotary Emergency Boxes for disaster relief efforts, we also support Aqua Boxes for international aid purposes, along with the collection of second-hand spectacle and books for distribution to less literate developing nations.
Is it fair to all concerned?
Will it build good will and better friendships?
Will it be beneficial to all concerned?