History
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Round Table was formed
in 1927 in Norwich. Its founder, Louis Marchesi, a 'pastrycook'
and member of Norwich Rotary Club, held the view that there was
a value to the community of young business and professional men
and a lack of facilities which the community offered to these
young men to meet and exchange their viewpoints.
At the 1927 British
Industries Fair, held in Birmingham, The Prince of Wales, later
Duke of Windsor, said "The young business and professional men
of this country must get together round the table, adopt methods
that have proved so sound in the past, adapt them to the
changing needs of the times and, wherever possible, improve
them."
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This fired Marchesi's
imagination, discussions took place in the coffee room of his
restaurant, and on 14th March 1927, in the Suckling House Norwich, the
first Round Table came into being. By March 1946 there were 96 active
Tables with 1,771 members, within 6 years there were 364 active Tables
with in excess of 10,000 members.
In 1936 the first Round Table
was opened in Denmark, by 1948 in additon to 24 Round Tables in Denmark
there were 20 Round Tables spread throughout The Netherlands, Sweden and
Norway.
There are now in excess of 800
Round Tables within Great Britain and The Republic of Ireland, with
links to Round Tables in more than 52 countries throughout the world. |
