A farewell dinner has been held to mark the closure of Ammanford Rotary Club after 63 years of service in the town.

Over the years the Rotary Club organised numerous fund raising events which were always well supported by the local community.

As a result the club was in turn able to support local good causes such as providing a minibus for the Disabled Drivers Association and making donations to groups such as the scouts, guides, brownies, swimming club, ATC, Ammanford Silver Band and many others.

International charities such as Wateraid, Emergency Boxes and Polio Plus, which is Rotary’s attempt to totally eradicate Polio from the world, were also supported, often with special events.

Individual members have also played their part in helping to relieve suffering around the world.

Eric Brooksbank and Horace Tout drove a van to Croatia loaded with supplies during the war there and Dr Theva Manoharan took £2000 from the club to distribute to those who had suffered as a result of the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004.

Club secretary John Evans said: “In 1995 the Rotary Club decided to hold a summer Carnival, which became a very popular and successful annual event and in 2005, with the assistance of Carmarthenshire County Council, it turned into the Ammanford Big Day Out.

“Many thousands of pounds were raised at these events all thanks to the support from the local community and generosity of local businesses.

“Without this support the club would not have been able to do so much for the town over the past 63 years.”

During the final dinner, club members were joined at The Plough, Rhosmaen on June 30 by the District Governor Steve Jenkins and the Vice President of the Ammanford Probus Club Daniel, who were accompanied by their wives as well as number of former Rotarians and their wives.

During the event, President Stephen Walker outlined the activities of the past year, which included helping to organize the Ammanford Big Day Out for the last time.

The club was also able to donate the £2300 proceeds of a Sportsman’s Dinner hosted by Derek Quinnell to the Ray Gravelle Trust in Llanelli.

The most recent event involved taking nearly 100 children with their carers for a day out at Folly Farm.

Local school children were also involved during the year in Rotary competitions including ‘Youth Speaks’ - public speaking competitions in both English and Welsh, and the Young Musician competition.

Past President Rodger Hutchison gave a brief resume of the history of the Club at the dinner, which all started with some informal meetings in the Canton Café in 1952,” said John.

“The founder members included Tracy Phillips, solicitor, Dr Glyn Morgan, T. Richard Jones, Neville Tarr, Herbert Stokes, the Co-op manager and Gwyn Evans of the South Wales Guardian.”

Unfortunately club membership has steadily declined over recent years from around 40 members to less than a dozen attending recent meetings.

It was reluctantly agreed to close the club on June 30 bringing to an end 63 years of service to the town.

It is hoped that some of the youth activities organised by the Ammanford Club will be taken on by other nearby Rotary Clubs such as Llandeilo or Llanelli in the future.