Who we are:

We are an independent local community group based in Deal. 
We support, and are part of, the Deal community. We provide a balanced mix of projects, events and member socials. 
In addition to our other activities, we support local charities and other community groups. 
We strive for inclusivity – and aim to make membership flexible and affordable. 
Our motto is: “Having fun getting things done". 

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In the beginning… 

As with many things in this wonderful country of ours, the concept of The Deal Pirates began in a pub… 

A couple of Rotarians, from Rotary Club of Deal, one of whom was David Lister (later to become Pirate Dandy and our Secretary), wanted to put on an event in Deal to raise funds for local causes and to elevate the profile of Rotary. 

They invited newbies to Deal, Julie and Garry Kemp, along to the Farrier pub for a chat and a pint and this is where the shenanigans began. 

Several ideas were bandied about, including a Santa Fun run in the middle of August, but finally the concept of a Treasure Hunt was agreed upon. 

Volunteers were gathered from inside and outside of the Rotary organisation and in August 2019 the first Treasure Hunt took place. 

The event was a resounding success.  Not only raising funds for two local organisations, The Rowing Club and the Sea Scouts, but injecting a sense of “fun” into fundraising. 

Buoyed with this success, many of those involved with the Treasure Hunt went on to help with running the Boxing Day Dip. In particular, a number of them became “Bucketeers” for the day – relieving obliging members of the crowd of any treasure/loose change they were carrying. 

As we all know, in March 2020 Covid struck.  The strong bond the Pirates had developed allowed them to get through the restrictions with the same desire to be involved in the community as before. 

The post-Covid world of Deal meant that many people in the town realized what a wonderful place in which we are fortunate enough to live and wanted to “give something back”. And so, in July 2021 the Pirates arranged to re-decorate the Cleary Room at the Landmark Community Centre. A call for volunteers was sent out. The project was a great success and as well as improving the Cleary Room, the Pirates were able to recruit enough volunteers to form a Rotary Satellite club. More hands-on projects followed allowing the initial nine members to quickly springboard to twenty-one.

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It became clear to all that were part of the satellite club, that the Pirates were very different to its parent club, The Rotary Club of Deal. The Pirates’ main focus was projects, getting involved in the wider community and having fun. 

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And so, in May 2022 the first new Rotary Club in the District for over ten years was formed. Much to the disappointment of the Pirates, Rotary International rejected their choice of name “The Deal Rotary Pirates” as they did not feel it was suitable and so the Pirates were officially registered with Rotary as “The Three Castles of Deal Rotary Club”, instead.

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The Pirates made attempts to show Rotary how to break out of the traditional mould, for instance, at the Annual District Conference they began a presentation to 400 Rotarians by running down the aisle to rousing “Pirate” music, then putting the Assistant District Governor in a pillory (that’s similar to a set of stocks to the uninitiated) and finally showing everyone present their secret weapon for recruiting new members – this being a pot of paint! They felt that this novel approach to community service was not widely appreciated by most Rotarians, and the Pirates felt constrained by an apparent rigid Rotary structure and the Rotary membership fee. 

  

In September 2023 the members of the Pirates voted to leave Rotary.

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On 1 May 2024 this “revolting” group set sail under the banner of “The Deal Pirates”. 

As before the group has strong community values: balancing project, events and group social events using our energy and drive to get things done. 

We give mutual support to all members and support other organisations that would not be able to achieve the desired result without us. 

We continue to be a democratic band with all members having an equal voice. 

In addition to providing people with a volunteering outlet, we also gave them a great network of friends, particularly valuable to newcomers to Deal. 

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What we do differently: 

We all have busy lives and other commitments. Members are not required to attend every meeting, event or activity. Members just give as much time as they have available. Our meetings do not involve a costly dining experience – you don’t even have to buy a drink. After our meetings we usually head off to the pub and once again, no members are expected to come along, although most do as this is where the real business gets done! 

 

When it comes to our projects and events, Subgroups are the secret weapon!  In short, when we decide on a particular project or event, a Subgroup of 3-5 Pirates is formed. This Subgroup is empowered and encouraged to make decisions, reporting back progress to the wider group at the bi-weekly meetings. If they need help from the membership – they just ask. 

 

To enable us to operate, we do have a membership fee which is currently just £36 per year.  This can be paid all at once or monthly.