New Year Honour for award-winning Harrogate Rotarian

Roger Percival, a former president of the Harrogate Rotary Club has been awarded an MBE for charitable services through Harrogate Rotary Club.

He first joined the Harrogate club in 1991 and has held a variety of positions including chairman and has also been district governor.

Mr Percival has volunteered on various overseas missions which have involved the building of schools, or helping communities rebuild following natural disasters.

His work through the Harrogate Rotary Club has taken him around the world to numerous places including, Romania, Sri Lanka, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Nepal.

In 2013 he was awarded the Rotary Club’s highest honour for individuals, becoming one of just 150 Rotarians worldwide to receive the Service Above Self award for a lifetime of charitable work.

The keen walker established the Nidderdale Walk 20 years ago, an event which has since raised more than £500,000 for charity.

Of the event, Mr Percival has said: “It is great to raise the money, but what I wanted to do was organise two or three walks that handicapped people could complete, or shorter walks so everyone could take part.”

In 2010 Mr Percival helped to organise a world record attempt in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens to supporting the Rotary Club’s long-running polio campaign. Rotarians, dignitaries and families from across the district got involved planting as many crocus bulbs in an hour as possible.

Other Yorkshire residents on the New Year’s Honours list included Katherine Elizabeth O’Neil who was awarded an MBE for services to Girlguiding in North Yorkshire.

lA full interview with Mr Percival will appear in next week’s Harrogate Advertiser.