UK’s biggest, all-female charity brings 2,000 delegates to Bournemouth

Hard on the heels of the Royal British Legion Women’s Section, another national, all-female charitable organisation arrives in Bournemouth for its annual conference this week.

More than 2,000 women, representing the 19,000 members who form 730 Inner Wheel clubs throughout Great Britain and Ireland, will meet at Bournemouth International Centre on 21-22 April 2015 to celebrate success and good work, highlighting the many charitable events and causes the organisation supports.

Inner Wheel is a global organisation with 100,000 members in 3,895 clubs, established to promote friendship, encourage personal service and foster international understanding. The association’s charities for 2014-2015 include Home Start UK, Sight Savers, Hope and Homes and Water Aid.

Almost £2 million a year is raised for these charities, this year’s total being revealed at the conference. Many will have stands in the exhibition where members can find out more about their work. These engagements often lead to a club or district choosing to adopt a charity.

Bournemouth is a firm favourite with the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs and delegates will be making the most of the destination’s many attractions and coastal vibe. The association has chosen to return for its 65th annual conference, having been impressed by the warm welcome received on previous visits.

“Bournemouth has become one of the favoured venues for Inner Wheel. Our members greatly enjoy coming here for conferences as we always receive a warm welcome not only from the staff at the venue, but also from the townspeople in general.”

says Thelma Pacsoo, Associate President for 2014-15.

This year’s theme is Light the Path, with the whole event structured around renewing old friendships, creating new ones and setting the agenda for lobbying and fundraising on behalf of disadvantaged communities.

Speakers at the two-day conference include International Inner Wheel President, Abha Gupta from India, an active campaigner in Inner Wheel since 1977 and a key contributor to several Triennial Conferences in India.

Also speaking will be Dr Paul Whittaker OBE, of the Music and the Deaf organisation, who is himself profoundly deaf, and Malcolm Wells MBE.

Dr Whittaker founded the charity Music and the Deaf in 1988 to help deaf people access music and performing arts. Current projects include Feel the Music, a three-year project involving the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and deaf schools in European cities; music clubs for deaf people across the UK; community signing and singing choirs; and music initiatives for deaf people in the Dominican Republic and Singapore.

Malcolm Wells is a national speaker for Canine Partners, the charity that assists people with disabilities to enjoy greater independence and quality of life with the help of specially trained dogs. Canine Partners works closely with Help for Heroes to train dogs for service men and women injured on active service, as well as civilians with disabilities.

Guest celebrity presenters this year are cookery writer and Great British Menu judge, Prue Leith, and the novelist, columnist and former Conservative MP, Ann Widdecombe, a familiar face on a number of TV productions including Celebrity Fit Club, Have I Got News for You, and Strictly Come Dancing.

“The Association of Inner Wheel Clubs is a regular and welcome visitor to Bournemouth that makes the very most of what we have to offer both inside and outside the venue. The event contributes around £1.5 million to the town’s economy.”

says BH Live Director of Venues, Pat Coyne.

“They really engage with the local community and are a fine example of the influence a major conference can have on a local economy.”

Delegates are being treated to a packed itinerary of events in and around the town. There’ll be guided walks along the promenade, through the landscaped gardens and around the town, plus a hot air balloon event in the Lower Gardens on Monday afternoon. If the weather stays fair, the President and other members will take to the skies over Bournemouth for a bird’s eye view of the whole of the region.

The conference opens on Tuesday 21 April 2015 with a performance by the Bournemouth Salvation Army Band and a welcome from The Worshipful The Mayor of Bournemouth, Cllr Chris Mayne. Later, guests are being invited to after dinner entertainment featuring West End, Hollywood and Broadway musicals.

The event closes on the second day with a performance by the New Forest Children’s Choir, winners of the 2010 BBC Children’s Choir of the Year award, followed by a celebration Glitz and Glamour dinner dance ‘Putting on the Ritz’, featuring dance band Old Dogz New Trix.

For more about Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland visit www.innerwheel.co.uk.

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Notes to the editor

About BH Live

BH Live is the South Coast’s leading operator of leisure and event venues – a social enterprise that designs and builds engaging experiences to inspire people and enrich lives. With over 2.5 million visits a year and over £31 million turnover, the organisation is changing lives – placing it at the heart of the UK’s growing social economy.

In 2013/14, BH Live hosted 423 shows, sold over half a million cultural, sporting and entertainment tickets, clocked up 1.8 million leisure centre visits and welcomed 88,000 conference and exhibition delegates which contributed over £45 million to the local economy.

For further press information:

Elizabeth Symmons
PR & Corporate Communications Executive, BH Live
Elizabeth.Symmons@bhlive.co.uk
01202 451866