History of The Deal Pirates

The Deal Pirates trace their origin to the Rotary Club of Three Castles of Deal - which, when founded, were the first new Rotary club in the south-east for ten years.
The idea came from a meeting between Julie Kemp (Past-President) and Garry Kemp (Project Coordinator) and Dave "Dandy" Lister (then a Rotary Club of Deal Member) in the pub. Dandy suggested that pirate gear could be worn for a running event - and Garry suggested this would work well for a Treasure Hunt.

The Deal Rotary Pirates became well known in the town and surrounding villages due to their hard work supporting the community and their distinctive appearance.

The Deal Rotary Pirates, in common with Rotary clubs world-wide, read the Four-Way Test at the start of every meeting, but with a (then) unique twist - adding a fifth line recited by all present: "Will it be FUN?".

One enviable aspect of the Rotary Pirates was the diversity - most Members were female. They encouraged people from all walks of life to bring their varied skills to bear in helping the community and socials - and meetings were typically more relaxed than one might expect from a conventional Rotary club.

Events around the town which featured a strong Rotary Pirate presence included:

• Treasure Hunt

• Deal Carnival

• Sandown Picnic

• Walmer Green Tabletop Sale

• Deal Braderie

• Boxing Day Dip

The members decided to form an independent club in 2024 and The Deal Pirates​ were formed on May 1st of that year. Many of the important core Rotary values have been preserved in the new club, which owes a great debt to the Rotary movement for its genesis. The Deal Pirates collaborate with the Rotary Club of Deal for management of the Boxing Day Dip - the committee is three members of each club.

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