Troon Round Table

Fun, friendship and trying something new and exciting, that's what Round Table is all about. From sports to arts and nights out at restaurants to family social events, Round Table prides itself on giving its members the chance to embrace life to the full.

There are many benefits to becoming a Round Tabler. Taking part in debate and organising functions and events will build leadership skills and give you public speaking abilities. Being a member of Round Table can help you enhance your personal strengths like no other organisation.

Round Table opens up wonderful opportunities to become more involved in your local community and meet new friends from across the UK and the world.

Helping others while having great fun and enjoying new experiences is at the very heart of Round Table.

So if you want to meet like minded people from all walks of life and get the chance to broaden your horizons why not contact your nearest Table and come along to the meeting - you have no idea what you're missing!

New Chairman for Troon Round Table

Troon Round Table recently held its Annual General meeting in the Anchorage Hotel Troon. After a very successful and varied year, which included the celebration of Troon Round Table’s 45th anniversary, outgoing chairman Douglas Hervey handed over to the incoming Chairman for 2009/2010, Tom Atkinson, with the Vice Chairman for the coming year being Andrew Ness. Douglas gave the Tabler of the Year award for 2008/2009 to Stephen Bargh.

It was also time for Troon Round Table to (begin to!) say goodbye to one of its longest serving members... Wallace Stevenson, who has been a Troon Round Tabler for an amazing 20 years! Wallace is well known in the town, and his enthusiastic help and input will be greatly missed by not just the Tablers but the town of Troon ! Thank you Wallace for all your years of helping the community of Troon by being a member of Troon Round Table.

However, we are delighted to say Wallace was offered, and has accepted, an honorary year with Troon Round Table - so we will have his help for one more year!

We also said goodbye to our Honorary members who have stayed on for their Honorary Year - Stephen Vallance, Adrian Groom and Ken Grieg. Our sincere thanks to them for everything they have done to help and promote Troon Round Table over their many combined years of membership.

Which leads us to the most pressing issue facing Troon Round Table... where are the young men in the town who wish to contribute to their community and meet other like-minded people in doing so? Round Table is NOT elitist, it’s not expensive, it gives you a reason to get up and do something for yourself whilst helping your community... and our existing members are rapidly nearing the upper age limit of 45. If you are at ALL interested, come along and try it, see what we are about, and learn from the experienced Tablers exactly what makes us tick..

New Chairman and Vice Chair Tom Atkinson and Andrew Ness

Wallace Stevenson receives his 'retiral' tankard

One of our retiring Tablers, Stephen Vallance, has put together a short piece "Memories of being a Troon Round Tabler" which we feel sums up very well just what it means to be a member of Round Table and explains what Stephen has got out of Round Table over the years.

Life of a Troon Round Tabler

I have just attended my final Troon Round Table AGM. This year I will retire as a member and it seemed as good an opportunity as any to write a short article about my Tabling life and to raise one important point with the readers.

I joined Round Table almost 12 years ago. I had moved to Troon some years before but had found it difficult to form a strong social circle. I knew that I needed to join something so I looked at Round Table or Rotary. Yes there are differences!! Both are wonderful groups serving their communities and their members, Round Table fortunately for me was the one I called and I found catered best for my needs with its strong social focus and age rules (they throw us out when we’re past 45!!).

What is Round Table? Basically it’s a social group with a conscience. Over the last 12 years I’ve done everything from canyoning to wall climbing, football to golf to quad biking to cycling to wife carrying!! Boys week-ends to family caravanning trips and whisky tasting to beer festivals. The programme that runs from August to May covers a huge array of social functions involving not only our members but often their wives/partners and families.

The thing that I will remember best, though, about my Tabling life was the community work that we do. Hopefully you are all aware of the Troon Fireworks display on the North Shore . This is an event conceived by Round Table, funded by Round Table and marshalled by Tablers (with assistance from many others). Likewise, Troon’s Swimming Gala (the only remaining inter primary school sporting event) and of course, would it feel like Christmas every year unless your Round Tablers brought Santa’s sleigh round the streets every December? Similarly, I remember with fondness all the local school PTA BBQ’s we have manned, Race Night Bars we have run, the Old Folks Concerts that we have organised, and the cycling proficiency tests that we arranged, amongst many, many others.

As well as running these events I have the immense satisfaction of knowing that many individuals, school and community groups have benefited from financial assistance given by Troon Round Table over the years - we have helped fund countless life-enhancing trips and events for members of our LOCAL community, from the funds we raise LOCALLY each year on the Santa Float and other fundraising events. I know that we have contributed to many local organisations, including The Boys Brigade, Marr Rugby, Troon Thistle and the Scouts and Cub troops. We have given money to the local PTA’s and sponsored people from Troon in a whole host of projects or simply when they were in need. We have raised money for CHAS children’s hospice, for CLIC Malcolm Sergeant, individuals and local charities/groups to name but a few. Lastly we have always been prepared to turn out as a group to lend support to the community of Troon and its various organisations, such as Wintertainment and the Summer Gala.

I really am sad to have to be leaving Troon Round Table and hope that in my short Tabling life I have done some good. In the process, I have made some fantastic friends, people that will be part of the rest of my life. I can honestly say that I have received far more from Round Table than the time I gave to it!

So, you might ask, what is my one point? It’s simple. Round Table is struggling for new members. Without them, eventually the work that we do, and the organisations, individuals and the charities that we support, will suffer and Troon will be a poorer place for it. So, why don’t you come along and meet us? If you are between 25 and 45 and are looking either to help your community or to broaden your social horizons, in fact BOTH, then call and speak to our new chairman, Tom Atkinson (01292 313923) or Andrew Ness (01292 310800) , Stephen Bargh (01292 312342), or Douglas Hervey (01292 314056). Or contact us via our webpage www.troonroundtable.org.uk

Troon Round Table recently organised and staged the annual Inter Schools swimming gala for Troon’s Primary Schools.

The event was held at Troon swimming pool and attracted over 100 entrants from Troon, Barassie, St Patrick’s, Muirhead, Struthers and Dundonald Primary Schools.

The event was once again a huge success, with pupils from the Schools in Primaries 5, 6 and 7 all taking part in races in Front Crawl, Breast Stroke, Backstroke and Butterfly, with the event culminating in the ever popular relay for both boys and girls teams.

The event has become a major fixture in the Troon Schools sporting Calendar, and whilst the emphasis is on fun and participation, there is a healthy competitive spirit among the schools and every race had the teams cheering on enthusiastically - not to mention the large number of keen (and very noisy!) parents and friends who came along to support the kids.

This year, the Boys team trophy was won for the second year in a row by Troon Primary School; the Girls team trophy was won by Struthers Primary - pictured are both winning teams.

Troon Round Table thanks most sincerely everyone who helped make the event such a success, in particular the staff of Troon Swimming Pool and everyone connected with the South Ayrshire Swim Team, for valuable assistance, and of course all the pupils and helpers from the schools for making the event once again such a big success.

This event is one of several large and important community events organise by Troon Round Table. We are a very active Community Group for young men aged upto 45... we don’t just sit back... we get up and DO things! We are always looking for people to become involved and help keep the many well-established Troon Round Table community events going in the years to come. It’s not expensive. It doesn’t take up too much time. And you will have great fun being involved.

Community events like the swimming gala can only continue in the years to come if we have new members to take over from the current Tablers. If you would like to contribute to your local community, and also have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of sporting and social events, contact Andrew Ness(01292 310800) Tom Atkinson (01292 313923), Stephen Bargh (01292 312342) or Ron Boyd (01292 313285) for more information, or visit the Troon Round Table website www.troonroundtable.org.uk. Troon Round Table needs you - It beats sitting in watching telly - what have you got to lose??!!

We meet in the South Beach Hotel on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month, excluding July and August - 7.15 for 7.30 pm

Douglas Hervey (01292 314056), Stephen Bargh (01292 312342) or Ron Boyd (01292 313285).

Visit the Troon Round Table Discussion Board