Troon Rotarians and guests recently met at the Piersland Hotel for their special end of year dinner.

The annual event gives an opportunity to celebrate all that has been done over the course of the year including several successful social events and a number of environmental initiatives, which saw the planting of 70 trees in Troon.

There were also several fundraising activities such as the annual Christmas raffle and their  popular bridge and afternoon tea event.

In addition a group of dedicated Rotarians regularly collect aluminium cans from various local hotels and pubs which are then crushed and sold to the metal markets, all of which provide funding for some Rotary humanitarian projects and the Troon Rotary Community Support Fund (TRCS)

Ayr Advertiser: President Jyl and Rotarian Alastair with their Paul Harris Fellow AwardsPresident Jyl and Rotarian Alastair with their Paul Harris Fellow Awards (Image: Troon Rotary)

Following a delicious dinner and some short and entertaining talks, the main event of the evening was when president Mike Schirwing handed over the president’s chain of office to his successor, the new president for 2023/24  Jyl Ashton Cunningham for her second term as president.

However a surprise was awaiting President Jyl and Rotarian Alastair when past President Mike called them both forward to receive their Paul Harris Fellow Awards in recognition of their exceptional service to Troon Rotary and to the work of the International Rotary Foundation, which supports and enables Rotarians to engage with educational and humanitarian programmes across the world.

Our pictures show past President Mike about to hand over his chain of office to Jyl and Rotarian Alastair and President Jyl having just received their Paul Harris Fellow Awards.

More information on how you can become a Rotarian or how to apply for a Troon Rotary Community Support Grant (TRCS) grant can be found at   www.troonrotary.org.uk.