Ayr Rotary Club unveiled a QR plaque at Annbank Church on 26 July 2026, commemorating the connection between Paul Harris, founder of Rotary International, and Annbank. The unveiling was carried out by the Lord Lieutenant Sheriff Iona MacDonald OBE, Rev Mandy Ralph, John Ewing and Ayr Rotary President Mary Helen Shakespeare.

 

Paul Harris stayed at the Annbank Manse during the 1920s while visiting his wife Jean’s brother, Rev. John Thomson, who was the local Church of Scotland minister. Rev. Thomson introduced Harris to the works of Robert Burns, which Harris later regarded as influential in shaping his understanding of Rotary’s values of fellowship and community service.

 

The plaque includes a QR code linking to a video explaining this connection. The project was the result of many years of work by Ayr Rotarian John Ewing.

 

Paul Harris, born in Wisconsin in 1878, travelled widely before establishing the Rotary movement in Chicago in 1905. Rotary subsequently expanded internationally and now has more than 1.5 million members worldwide