Holger Knaack is Chair of The Rotary Foundation Trustees and a former Rotary International President.

Holger recently returned from Pakistan, one of only two countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic. 

His visit, alongside Rotary International President Francesco Arezzo, Rotary Foundation Trustee Mike McGovern, and Pakistan PolioPlus Chair Aziz Memon, reaffirmed Rotary’s unwavering commitment on the ground.

 

In Pakistan, Holger witnessed the extraordinary dedication of health workers operating in challenging environments. 

 

Joining Holger in the conversation are two Welsh Rotarians with their own Rotary Foundation perspectives: 

Steve Jenkins of Cardiff Bay Rotary Club, who will become Rotary GB&I’s Foundation Lead in July 2026, and Robert Parker of Abergavenny Rotary Club, both share examples of how the Foundation’s resources empower local and global humanitarian work.

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You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.

Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.

If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.

You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.

If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.

We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

As Rotary marked World Polio Day the ‘Unscripted’ podcast brings together remarkable voices united by one mission - to finally rid the world of polio.

Dr Jamal Ahmed is the World Health Organization’s lead on polio eradication, who provides a global overview of where we stand in 2025. Dr Ahmed outlines how surveillance networks and vaccination drives have adapted to modern challenges, including conflict zones and the movement of transient populations across borders.

Adding a deeply human dimension is Emma Miller, a Rotarian from Bradford in West Yorkshire, whose family’s story highlights the devastating impact of polio before the vaccine era. Her uncle, Jeff Hall, was a promising England and Birmingham City footballer who died of polio in 1959, aged just 29.

Completing the line-up is Peter Teahan, who, alongside fellow pilot Ed Galkin, completed the extraordinary ‘Circle the Atlantic’ flight challenge, visiting Rotary clubs across multiple countries, including England, to promote the End Polio Now campaign.

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You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.

Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.

If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.

You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.

If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.

We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

October’s episode of ‘Unscripted’ marks a centenary with 100 years of Rotary in Europe. Among the guests will be Marco Nicosia, manager of Rotary’s Europe Office in Zurich.

With Peter Oldridge from Doncaster Rotary Club, we reflect on the amazing story of Rotarian Frank Molloy whose pioneering spirit saw the creation of Rotary clubs in three European capitals exactly 100 years ago.

The episode will also spotlight Daragh Morgan, an Irish swimmer and Rotarian from Galway attempting to circumnavigate the island of Ireland — an epic feat in endurance and resilience.

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You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.

Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.

If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.

You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.

If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.

We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

In this episode we're joined by:

Heather Stuart, Chair of the Rotary GB&I Board, on membership, Rotary's vision for the future, and meeting the King on her first day in the job;

Gill and Andrew Campbell, founders of Hearing Ambassadors, talk about their work tackling hearing loss stigma and improving accessibility for those living with auditory challenges;

Maeve Furey of Portlaoise Rotary Club talks about Handitandem, a pioneering scheme adapted from France which enables people with disabilities to experience the thrill of tandem skydiving.

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You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.

Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.

If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.

You can listen to our archive wherever you found this podcast. Please follow us to get new episodes immediately downloaded to your device.

If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.

We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

Welcome to Unscripted, the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland. Every month we bring together the voices, stories and insights that shape the Rotary movement – from grassroots initiatives to global partnerships.

Unscripted is hosted by Dave King and Alicia Reade.

To kick off our first ever episode, we're joined by:

Sanj Srikanthan, CEO of ShelterBox, discussing the global impact of Rotary’s disaster relief partnership celebrating its 25th year;

Jasmine Harrison, record-breaking round-the-world sailor and member of Thirsk Rotary Club in Yorkshire, sharing her tale of courage and adventure from Fiji;

Linda Crossland, from Retford Rotary Club, Nottinghamshire highlighting a powerful RotaKids peace project nurturing empathy and leadership in young people. 

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You have been listening to 'Unscripted', the official podcast of Rotary in Great Britain & Ireland.

If you’d like to find out more about Rotary or join us, visit rotarygbi.org/join and read more stories in Rotary Magazine at magazine.rotarygbi.org.

If you’ve enjoyed this you can leave us a 5* review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts – it helps to spread the word.

We’d love you to share this podcast with friends, family and colleagues inside and outside of Rotary.

This month’s issue of Rotary Magazine celebrates 25 years of ShelterBox, which started out as a Millennium project by Helston Lizard Rotary Club in 2000.  

Since then, through its established partnership with Rotary, with a group of passionate and dedicated Rotarians at its core, it has gone on to support over 3 million people recovering from disaster or conflict worldwide, including in the Caribbean where Hurricane Beryl caused extreme devastation and in Gaza, where ShelterBox has been working with other humanitarian aid agencies to support those displaced by war. 

Also in this issue, we round up RI President Stephanie Urchick's visit to Rotary GB&I.

This edition, we shine a spotlight on public image and how Rotary members, clubs and districts can maximise the impact of their activities through publicity and promotion. We'll give you to hints and tips, from mastering social media, to the power of storytelling.

We also catch up with Rotarian sailor, Jasmine Harrison who discusses the challenges of sailing around the world during her stopover in Panama, before embarking on the second leg of the Mini Globe Race, from Panana to Fiji, via the Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, and Tonga. 

From battling sargassum seaweed which wrapped around her furling line, to hand-steering through squalls, the member of Thirsk Rotary Club in North Yorkshire proves that she’s a force to be reckoned with.

Amid the growing challenges of migration and asylum in the UK, Rotary clubs in the Thames Valley are stepping up to make a difference.

The region has become a temporary home for asylum seekers from Ukraine, Syria, Afghanistan, and beyond, many of whom have endured perilous journeys only to face long waits for legal status in difficult living conditions. 

Rotary clubs are responding by providing essentials like clothing, personal items, and refurbished bicycles, while fostering community connections. These efforts highlight the human stories behind global migration - a crisis driven by conflict, persecution, and inequality. 

In this issue, discover how Rotary is addressing both the immediate needs of displaced individuals and the wider challenges of building an inclusive, supportive community in an ever-changing landscape.

In this edition, we look back at a stunning sporting summer for a number of British athletes who represented Paralympics GB at the Paris Games. Something they all share, on top of their sporting prowess, is that their journeys have all been touched by Rotary.

That includes wheelchair tennis star and Rotary GB&I Ambassador, Abbie Breakwell, Scottish Rotarian and para-canoeist, Hope Gordon, and another two former Rotary Young Citizen Winners.

Also in this edition, a range of important stories on polio, as we mark World Polio Day on 24th October. Hear from six British polio survivors about their first hand experiences living with the disease, and their takes on why eradication is so important.

North Star is Rotary GB&I's five-year plan to strengthen and grow the organisation to 60,000 members by 2028.

But how are we going to do it? This issue takes a deep dive at the ambitious strategic shift, paying particular attention to four membership channels; Club, Corporate, Direct and Enterprise.

Also in this edition, we've got stories on Water Survival Box, the Singapore Convention and Rotary clubs serving communities in some of the most remote parts of the world.

Explore more from Rotary Magazine at www.magazine.rotarygbi.org