It was already doing it tough before the global pandemic, and when restrictions came into force it became incredibly difficult to serve the community.

Now member Graham Farish is trying to revitalise the club and bring it back to the vibrant organisation it used to be.

His first hurdle is attracting new members, or at least new Friends of Rotary.

His ultimate goal is to boost the number of club members and also kick off a Rotaract Club, which is a rotary division for people aged between 18 and 30.

"Cessnock Rotary has been running for 84 years. It used to have 52 members and now it has 6," he said.

"Last year most of the fundraising couldn't happen because of COVID. Our two biggest fundraisers are the Bunnings barbecues and the Christmas lights at Hunter Valley Gardens.

"Our membership is like everywhere else, if you were to talk to Lions or another group they would tell you the same thing, and COVID is partly responsible because when things close down it's hard to get them going again."

Mr Farish said working with rotary boosted the community spirit and helped people in need. He also said it gave members a social outlet where they could interact with likeminded people.

He said the group accepted members from Cessnock, Huntlee, Branxton, Greta and Rothbury.

"When we're doing the barbecues people come up to us and ask us what we do and that tells me that people don't know our story."

A membership information evening will be held at Marthaville House at 200 Wollombi Road, opposite ALDI, on Thursday, May 6 at 6pm.

Membership fees are normally $250 per year but have been discounted to $150. It is free to be a Friend of Rotary.

"We've got about five friends of rotary. They come along to the meetings and have their say and can suggest things. The only thing they can't do is vote," Mr Farish said.

"Rotaract its more about the social aspect and that is beneficial as the younger generation can be lost in the Cessnock community, there is not a lot of them to do.

"We get them to come along to help with the free barbecues and do a three hour shift, and by doing that it's allowing them to help their community."

The club will hold a free barbecue at Huntlee on May 1. It donates to various causes during the year including sporting clubs, a scholarship for school students and the fire service.

"We get money in and our figures show we pay it back out again, which helps the community," he said.