MORE than 140 Inner Wheel members from across Yorkshire attended an annual rally in Harrogate.

The Aireborough club was one of 25 represented at the event.

The morning Service of Friendship was led by Reverend Christine Worsley of Bingley whose Thought for the Day centred around kindness and being a friend to yourself. Robbie Morgan, from the Ripon club, conducted the district choir.

The collection for the charity Place2Be, providing emotional and therapeutic services for schoolchildren, totalled £630.

The traditional candle lighting beginning the afternoon session was shared between the President of the Association of Inner Wheel Clubs in Great Britain and Ireland Enid Law of the Llangollen Club, 1st Vice Chairman of District 4 Pat Mirfield of the Aireborough club and the newest Inner Wheel member Janet Lawrence of the Brighouse club.

The rally was hosted by Pat Mirfield and Suzanne Brindley, of the Wakefield club, following the illness of Barbara Burke of Ripon Inner Wheel.

District Governor Manoj Joshi of the Rotary Club of Bradford accompanied by his wife Bhavna praised the warmth of the welcome and spoke of the combination of Rotary and Inner Wheel together moving mountains.

He then presented scarves of friendship to Enid Law and Pat Mirfield.

A spokeswoman said: “Spontaneous and entertaining greetings were brought by I.W. District 15 Chairman Helen Starkey of Carmarthen and I.W. District 127 Chairman Pat Alston of Brigg with praise for the positive attitude of District 4.

“Association President Enid Law congratulated members of District 4 in including five of her recent predecessors. She was aware of 110 different charities District 4 clubs were supporting with £44,000 already raised. Clubs appreciated the need for new members whilst sharing executive job roles within clubs. Not everything needed revising, adopt change but adapt it to fit in with Inner Wheel’s way of thinking. One totally new concept was the iiwheel club, with members meeting online, devised by Sarah Keegan.

“Barbara Burke’s choice of Guest Speaker was Valerie Green, her subject ‘Painting with Light’ covering an illustrated history of glass making, latterly concentrating upon stained glass, from the Egyptians and Romans to the pre-Raphaelites and David Hockney. It included from her own work the window unveiled by the Queen with the stress entailed and her personal favourite the Ship of Souls in the East Riding Crematorium. Every member present chose a glass token before leaving from a Scarborough sand bucket.”