Rotary Club celebrates member’s 90th birthday

Frome Rotary Club recently celebrated the 90th birthday of one of its oldest members.

Rotarian Alan Sandall has lead a fascinating life. In his youth he was in the navy in Gibraltar and Malta. He was a cadet auxiliary fireman during the war with units called out to help in the London Blitz.

After the Second World War, he went into journalism rising to editor of the Reading Times and he was amongst the first in the country to produce coloured pictures in the newspapers. He finally became editor of the Somerset Standard for 20 years, (then called the Somerset Guardian, Keynsham Chronicle and Bath Herald).

Since retirement, apart from his Rotary work, he continues to be involved in very many other activities  including the Scouts, Probus, his local church and the Royal Naval Association. He was awarded the Silver Wolf and a Gold Star Lifetime achievement award for services to scouting.

Allan continued his public relations work until he was in his 70s and has also successfully written two books, one on the wartime fire fighters ‘Are you 17?’ and the other ‘Going, Going Gone’.

His 90th birthday cake was in the form of two books to celebrate his lifetime with the pen.