About District 13
We call ourselves “Inner Wheel in London” and the eight clubs in this district are in various London boroughs, with Chelsea and Westminster club meeting in central London. The district was founded in 1933 and we were delighted when our new club of South East London was chartered in 2024, Inner Wheel’s 100th anniversary year. It was the Association’s first new club for the new century.
With London’s excellent public transport facilities, our District meetings and Rallies always take place in the central area.
Because of our location, we have many requests from visiting overseas Inner Wheel members to meet with our members, whilst they are on visits to London. In this way we have forged many friendships from around the world.
Each of our clubs in District 13 has something special and unique. It might be a great social programme, a special annual event or just a pleasant venue where at each monthly meeting friends get together and share each other’s company.
District Chairman
District Chairman Shamim Govani
Welcome
In January 1968, I arrived in the UK from my birthplace, Kampala Uganda to study Pharmacy.
The gateway from dispensing to serving within the local community opened for me in 1987 when my husband Liaquat was invited to join Rotary and I was invited to join Inner Wheel as the wife of a Rotarian.
I was invited to promoting “Helping the Helpers,” serving as a JP (for 30 years) and a member of the First-tier Tribunal (health, education & social care) for 24 years.
I recognized the importance of diversity and pluralism while serving within the Ismaili community, and this helped, in my role as Association GB &I International Service Committee Chairman in 2017- 2021.The Malaria prevention project involved practical solutions with The Butterfly Tree and also education by supporting translating films in various local languages with Medical Aid Films.
A seed was sown, and a proposal to explore the feasibility of an Inner Wheel Foundation is currently under debate by International Inner Wheel.
It was a big learning curve when my club Havering Inner Wheel closed in 2022 and I joined Chelsea & Westminster Club and became a Corporate Member of Hornchurch & Upminster Rotary Club, District 1240. After completing the position of Club President of Chelsea & Westminster and first vice chairman in D13, I am now looking forward to fulfilling the role of Inner Wheel District Chairman.
My aim is to prioritise not only increasing but also retaining membership and implementing “Giving is Uplifting.” One way in which I intend to do this is to hold evening meetings on zoom in an attempt to reach and include members who are unable to attend our District Meetings. The first of these zoom meetings, which will also be open to members from other Districts, will be held on Tuesday 29th July when we will have a speaker from Hestia and will be promoting Orange the World.
One of the clubs in our District, the Inner Wheel Club of Clapham, will be celebrating their centenary in 2026 – a remarkable achievement – and we have therefore decided to coincide our District Rally with Clapham’s centenary celebration on 15th May at the Union Jack Club in Waterloo.
I am looking forward to the coming Inner Wheel year and working with the District Executive and clubs and meeting those members who are unable to attend District events.
Social Links
Who we support
DC Shamim’s charity for the year is Hestia Life beyond Crisis, which supports women and children escaping domestic abuse and modern-day slavery.
Hestia empowers women to rebuild their lives for themselves and their families by offering practical advice and emotional support, and dovetails well with the Orange the World initiative.
Our International Service Organiser has chosen Mary’s Meals for clubs to support this year.
Our International Service Rally is being held on 2nd February 2026 and once again will be held on Zoom to enable our Inner Wheel friends from around Great Britain and Ireland and from overseas to join us making it a truly international occasion.
Recycling Information
| Item collected | Donated to which charity | Sent to/taken to/ collected by | What happens to the items | Name of Contact & Address | Is there a limit to quantity received |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Used Stamps | RNIB, Children’s Bone Cancer | Apply for freepost envelope/Post RNIB, Caninie Partners, Parkinsons UK | Sold to collectors, artists or manufacturers. Money raised goes to the charity. Proceeds can be based on weight or the value of the stamp. | RNIB Head Office, RNIB Xchange Master Ltd, Unit B, 24 Rosyth Road, Glasgow G5 0YD Canine partners – Registered office: Ashby Road, Osgathorpe, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 9SR Parkinson’s UK, 50 Broadway, London SW1H 0DB | No |
| Bras New and nearly new. | Smalls for All & Women’s Aid and Refuges | Contact Smalls for All to find local contact | Donated to women in need in Africa & UK | Smalls for All, Smalls for All Five Sisters Business Park, Westwood, West Calder EH55 8PN | No |
| Drink Can Ring Pulls only | Purple Community Fund | Purple Community Fund, 104 Waverley Road, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire CV31 2DE | Recycled into handbags, purses, belts, lanyards etc | Contact only – Do NOT send ring pulls to this address. Purple Community Fund Jane Walker, Purple Community Fund, PO Box 294, Hedge End, Southampton SO30 2YD | No |
| Milk Bottle Tops | Friends of Water Search & Rescue | Contact Friends of Water Search & Rescue | Turned into pellets for the use of manufacturing traffic bollards and cones | Friends of Water Search & Rescue Team, PO Box 400, Oxfordshire OX18 9EB | No |
| For further recycling details please click here |
District 13 Officers
DISTRICT CHAIRMAN – Shamim Govani
1st Vice Chairman – Angela Jacobs
2nd Vice Chairman –TBA
Immediate Past Chairman – Sue Jessel
District Secretary – June Nathan
District Treasurer – Kim Tanner
Member of Council – Sue Jessel
District Editor – Karen Krestin
International Service Chairman – Asha Gupta
Membership & Development Officer – Carol Rajkumar
Email Us
We are always happy to talk with prospective members who should contact:
innerwheellondond.13@gmail.com
District 13 Events
| Meeting | Date | Place |
|---|---|---|
| International Service Rally | 02/02/26 11.00am | Zoom |
| Association Conference | 23/03/26 - 25/03/26 | Llandudno |
Current Clubs
Bush Hill Park - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 1st Thursday pm
Chelsea & Westminster - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 1st Thursday 12.00 noon
Clapham - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 3rd Tuesday am
Finchley - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 2nd Tuesday 15.00
Greenford - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 3rd Tuesday pm
Northwick Park - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 2nd Monday pm
South East London - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com -
Southgate - Contact - innerwheellondon.13@gmail.com - 4th Monday pm
(1983) BUSH HILL PARK
(1948) CHELSEA & WESTMINSTER
(1926) CLAPHAM
(1946) FINCHLEY
(2006) GREENFORD
(1978) NORTHWICK PARK
(2024) SOUTH EAST LONDON
(1946) SOUTHGATE
District 13 latest news
D13 – Launch Orange the World At the House of Lords
Members from District 13, with members from around the country were delighted to attend the launch of the Orange the World initiative at the House of Lords. ...
D13 – Promoting Orange the World
Members were welcomed by congregants of St Giles Church, Camberwell where they were given the opportunity to promote Orange the World both during and after the morning service. They had a stall outside the church. ...
D13 – Walk for Orange the World
Members of D13 walked alongside the Thames from Westminster to the London Eye, promoting both the Orange the World initiative and Hestia, DC Shamim’s chosen charity, which provides domestic abuse support services. ...