The Rotary Club of Manchester held its 101st Charter Dinner at Stanneylands Hotel, Wilmslow.
During the black tie evening the President, John Abbott of Alderley Edge, presented the Vice-Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, Michael Oglesby, of Bowdon, with the prestigious Paul Harris Fellow Award, in recognition of his major support of charitable work in the community.
The Award commemorates Paul Harris, who founded Rotary International in 1905 and helps generate funding for Rotary Foundation which provides aid throughout the world. In 1911, when Rotary arrived in Europe, Manchester was one of the first clubs to be established in that year.
Dr Michael Oglesby DL. LLD. DSc CBE was born in Lincolnshire and graduated from Aston with a degree in Building in 1966. He spent his early working years in the construction industry before moving to Manchester in 1970.
It was here, over 30 years ago, that he formed what became the Bruntwood Group. The company grew to become one of the leading commercial property owners in the North of England. It now owns more than 90 buildings in Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham. In Manchester city centre, Bruntwood owns around 20 per cent of the commercial office property.
In 1992 the Oglesby Charitable Trust was formed and Michael, along with his wife Jean, daughter Kate and daughter-in-law Jane, is heavily involved in its activities. The Trust is one of the North West’s major charitable giving organisations, awarding over £4m in grants since 2000.
