Len Smith passed away on Tuesday 24th February 2026. He was a member of Rotary for an incredible 68 years.
Len joined Twickenham Rotary Club in 1958, serving as the club’s President 10 years later. In 2010, he became a founding member of Four Marks & Medstead Rotary Club before joining Alton Rotary Club in 2020.
He served as District Governor of District 114 (now 1145) in 1977/78 before going on to become Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland President in 1989/90.
Len Smith served as Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland President in 1989/90.
Upon taking up the position of Rotary GB&I President, Len said: “I will do everything I can as your president to lead, to guide, to help but also to listen. Thank you for entrusting me with the leadership of Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland.”
In a departure from preceding years where there had been a large focus on polio eradication, Len opted to encourage clubs to operate with more freedom and pursue projects that made sense for them.
“[Clubs] know the local needs, the local area, and the strengths of their club to match those needs.”
“We are not Rotarians for what we can get out of Rotary, but for what we can put in. Rotary is built on the twin pillars of service and fellowship – we must enjoy Rotary.”
During his tenure as President, Len introduced the Vocation Service Trophy, created to recognise outstanding commitment to Vocational Service, one of the core Avenues of Service within Rotary.
The Trophy was awarded to Rotary members and members of the public for over 30 years.
Also during 1989/90, there were waning tensions across Europe, seeing the creation of Rotary clubs in Warsaw and Budapest. Len attended the charter of Moscow Rotary Club, where he delivered messages of goodwill from Great Britain and Ireland.
In his early life, Len joined the RAF for national service in 1954-56, sparking a lifelong interest and love of flying, which he would revisit later in life.
Professionally, Len was Managing Director of his parent’s business which specialised in supplying school uniforms and sportswear to some of England’s ladies’ teams in the likes of hockey, lacrosse and golf.
