Sale of the Century still going strong in Campbeltown
Almost 200 items up for auction
The Rotary Club of Campbeltown’s annual Sale of the Century has become part of the town’s folklore and Saturday’s sale was a great one, raising nearly £3,000.
The TV show it was named after is long gone, but the Rotary Club version is still going strong. The sale is just one of the many roles that Rotary and its members play within the life of Campbeltown and Kintyre.
At this latest sale there were almost 200 items up for auction and 12 tables of assorted bric-a-brac.
Rotary members and their friends were kept busy setting up the Victoria Hall on Friday and from early on Saturday as the public sought out bargains.
‘Response this year has been so good we ran out of storage space and had to collect some items on Thursday and Friday and take them straight to the hall,’ said club president Andrew Ronald.
‘We are very grateful to the helpers from outside the club, who have become part of the sale, like Anne Leith who comes along each year to type up the catalogue for us.’
Rotary Club of Campbeltown has two big fundraising events each year, the sale and the area’s Christmas post.
The money raised at these, nearly £10,000 each year, is distributed to causes including Shopper Aide, Tayinloan Play Park, Kintyre Music Club, Kintyre Brass, Campbeltown Schools, Kintyre Link Club for Mental Health and RNLI.
The Rotary Club of Campbeltown is also famous for its burgers. Members can be seen supporting events like golf at Machrihanish, selling burgers at the 10th tee, and the RNLI Gala Day where they sell yet more burgers.
It is a club which is very much about social activities. Every Thursday the Rotary Club of Campbeltown meets for lunch at the Argyll Arms Hotel in Main Street.
Rotary really is part of a global community; the club also supports international causes like Water Aid and End Polio Now. Defeating polio is one of Rotary International’s principle aims.
Worldwide Rotary clubs are interested in their communities. During summer months when the town welcomes visitors from far and wide, guests from around the world are made welcome.
This is a reciprocal arrangement where Campbeltown members are made welcome elsewhere in Britain, Europe or further afield. Margaret Bakes, a past president of the club, said how welcome the members were made when visiting other clubs as far afield as Wellington in New Zealand.
Due to its remote location the Kintyre club does not participate in national events or charities as other more urban Rotary Clubs may do, but one of the highlights of the year is the Primary Schools Quiz where the winning school goes to Glasgow to compete with other schools which won their local rounds.