Weston Rotary Club celebrated its centenary year by holding an exhibition in Weston Museum to showcase its work over the last century.

The town's MP John Penrose attended the event along with other notable figures from Weston's past and present.

Mr Penrose told the Mercury how important it is to preserve local history such as the Rotary club's.

%image(14248246, type="article-full", alt="John Penrose MP believes it is the "dedication and selfless hard work" from rotary members which has kept the club going.")

Mr Penrose said: "It shows just how powerful a good idea can be, to see Weston Rotary still going strong after a century of money-raising and good work.

"But it is not just an idea; it is the dedication and selfless hard work of a hundred years of local Rotary members contributing to good causes and helping our community keep ticking.

"Here’s to the next hundred, too."

Mary Macfarlane, the granddaughter of the club's first president, T Ernest Macfarlane, was also in attendance in the museum's Community Hall.

She was joined by North Somerset Council's heritage champion, John Crockford-Hawley and George Horsfield, the Rotary Club's current president, who reflected on the past 100 years.

%image(14248247, type="article-full", alt="George Horsfield was elected as the Rotary Club's 100th president.")

Mr Horsfield said: “When our predecessors met on September 23, 1921 little did they know that the excellent work they started would still be going strong 100 years later.

"Today we are proud to support Weston Food Bank as our 100th year charity.

"In the 1920s the focus was on The Rotary Boys’ House, an incredible project which provided holidays for children for more than four decades and is described in detail in the exhibition.”

The exhibit also has audio recordings from members which describe why they joined the club and how it has changed their lives.

It also features various pictures documenting work carried out by the group throughout its history.

The display will be open to the public from today (Wednesday) and will run at Weston Museum for three months.

For more information on the Rotary Club and some of the events it will be hosting later this year, log on to www.facebook.com/westonrotaryclub