Rotary International in Great Britain & Ireland (RIBI) President Peter King joined Rotarians from Llangollen and beyond at the Llangollen International Eisteddfod on July 10. The festival is attended by choirs, dancers and musicians from all over the world and has been supported by the Rotary Club of Llangollen for over fifty years. During this time, the club has provided volunteers for the Eisteddfod to help with finance, crowd control, transport, accommodation for competitors, floral decorations, hospitality, fundraising and publicity.
Rotary Club President Nigel Rainsbury introduced the guests, who included Terry Waite, the Mayor and Mayoress of Llangollen and Les Wilson, Governor of Rotary in the North Wales and Merseyside area.
Peter King spoke about human rights, a field in which he has tremendous experience and was followed by Terry Waite, who has been involved in the Eisteddfod for a number of years and is no stranger to human rights issues. Terry is an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Llangollen and praised Rotary for its international work. He spoke of Rotary’s polio immunisation project and expressed surprise that Rotary is not better known for the life enhancing work it does throughout the world.
Bill Evans of the Rotary Club of Llangollen said: “We were delighted to welcome RIBI President, Peter King to the festival. The aims of the Eisteddfod and Rotary are closely entwined, as the theme of the event is world peace through dance and song. It is impossible to walk round the Eisteddfod without being reminded of the phrase Rotarians know so well – Rotary and Peace the World Over.”
Rotary clubs in the area also support a wide variety of causes including Birkenhead Disabled Persons Club and Support the Hospices. There is also a strong focus on Interact and Rotaract as well as the RIBI Young Chef, RIBI Young Musician and RIBI Young Writer competitions.
