Rotarians must be accompanied when doing duties with kids

Rotarians, the pillars of local respectability, have been told they can no longer carry out charitable work with the old or the young while alone.

The club, whose motto is Service Above Self, has decreed members must be accompanied when helping children or pensioners in case they are accused of abusing them.

In a decision which has outraged many of the 58,000 British and Irish Rotarians, the Club Board has issued the instructions to local groups after being told insurance premiums against legal action would be 'sky high' if they did not follow the pairing system.

A Rotary Club spokesman said the organisation had reluctantly introduced the measures after receiving legal advice.

"It is a case of having a witness present at all times, as a response to the nanny state we live in,' he said.

"It is done for insurance purposes and because generally it is thought that people should keep an eye on each other."

He added that the group was in the process of codifying the new regulations, which have to be followed by the 'safeguarding co-ordinator' for each local group.

One Rotarian said the measure had caused anger at the grass roots of the organisation. "Everyone thinks it is ridiculous, but it is not the club's fault - it is the society we live in,' he said.

The case follows The Mail on Sunday's disclosure last month that British Airways had banned children from sitting next to male passengers in case they are sex offenders - even if the child's parents are on the same flight.

Founded in America 101 years ago, the Rotary Club generally takes the form of local groups of professional and business people.

Members find the clubs congenial, and sometimes advantageous, but follow the original aims of uniting to do charitable work and 'helping build goodwill and peace in the world'.

As well as fund-raising dinners, the club sponsors community projects and runs conferences addressing issues such as drug abuse and gang culture.

Last night television presenter Johnny Ball, who is fronting a campaign against 'excessive' child protection laws, said the new Rotary rules were typical of measures being taken by organisations in case they faced ruinous lawsuits.

"You can't eliminate criminality by eliminating all normal life,' he said. "It's draconian and won't work.

"You can't take a collection in church now without going through police vetting first. If one of a group of bell-ringers is under 16, every member of the group must be cleared. It's absurd."

A spokeswoman for the Manifesto Club, a pressure group campaigning against more stringent vetting systems, said: "These suspicious guidelines take the joy out of voluntary work."