RIBI Conference 2017

The Annual Rotary GB&I Conference took place this year in Manchester at the Central Convention Complex from Friday 7^th April to Sunday 9^th April 2017.Rotary GB&I President Eve Conway led the proceedings, giving out Purple 4 Polio teddy bears to every speaker.

In the main hall, the stage was beautiful with a huge TV screen to help those at the back see the speaker up close.  The lighting and banners, decoration and set up were stunning, all sparkly and dark blue and starry.The sound was also excellent with almost no hiccups and the whole event ran smoothly.

The message of the Conference centred on service.  On Rotary being a different organisation from others by its willingness to provide service before self. Whether it took the form of physical help in the community, giving time to source something special to meet a need, identifying an opportunity to make something count, or stepping up to support your own club, Rotarians should be proud of their achievements through the power of united goals across the globe.

See the scrolling photographs of the highlights from the event and their descriptions. A little information is given about each one.  Particular highlights were:

• Manchester Camerata in the Community featured a wonderful group of elderly ladies and gentleman, including some with extra challenges such as loss of sight. They all joined together to present a mini play about the realities of life for them

• Ben Knowles from the British Ironwork Centre took us through the development of his towering angel created from knives relinquished by the community under a Secure Knife-In Scheme.  It was a shocking revelation to see the volume and variety of knives collected and then such a thing of such beauty eventually created in the huge “angel” covered totally in knives, their wicked blade shining.

• Young Citizen winners from the last ten years. There were winners from each of the last ten years and each gave a short update of where they are today – Bethany Hare and Grace O’Malley were among them and both demonstrated their musical achievements since then with a short musical interlude at the beginning of the evening festivities. Grace sang some operatic pieces, after which she was joined by her friend Denis Shiels, a 94 year old Chelsea Pensioner, and they sang together a classic song and brought the house down, it was so perfect and emotional. 

  Please see the photos of each of them and be inspired too!