Over 1,500 Rotarians from Great Britain and Ireland attended the 89th RIBI Annual Conference at the International Convention Centre in Birmingham. Speakers included Alison Wallace, CEO of ShelterBox, Major General Martin Rutledge of The Soldiers’ Charity, Lord Digby Jones, Sarah Brown, wife of former Prime Minister Gordon and special guest, Malala Yousafzai.
Malala was accompanied by Sarah Brown, who spoke about the United Nations project which aims to provide education for 55 million children around the world by 2015. Malala’s prime interest in life is education and she is a leading campaigner for education for girls in her home country of Pakistan. Malala was interviewed live on stage by Sarah and received a standing ovation.
The conference was marked by a display of survival boxes by the charity ShelterBox in Centenary Square, which enabled members of the public to see how the money they donate to disasters such as the recent typhoon in the Philippines is spent. ITV Central news covered the story with an interview by Rotary General Secretary, Amanda Watkin.
Other speakers included newscaster, Charlene White, former BBC war correspondent Martin Bell, the broadcaster Dallas Campbell and Jane Walker MBE.
