Where do we meet?
Edgbaston Convention are part of Inner Wheel District 6, and having recently tried out various venues, (our regular meeting place having closed due to the pandemic,) we had chosen Jonathans In The Park, as our regular meeting place. However, unfortunately Jonathans are now re-locating to The Roundhouse in Birmingham so we are now seeking a new location to meet. Presently we meet at a member’s home.
When do we meet?
Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of every month (except August) at 6.30 for 7pm. If you are interested in joining us, please contact us here.
district6admin@innerwheel.co.uk
About Our Club
We were chartered in 1985 and followed in the footsteps of our Rotary Club by taking on the name of the Inner Wheel Club of Edgbaston Convention; the word ‘Convention’ comes from the fact that the Rotary Club charter in 1984, was in the same year the Rotary International Convention was held in Birmingham.
We are a small friendly club (9 members) – the only Inner Wheel Club based in central Birmingham although some of our members do live outside the Birmingham boundary. We meet on a monthly basis usually enjoying friendship and fellowship over an evening meal followed by either a speaker or discussion of our future plans and activities. We also enjoy days out such as visiting National Trust properties and other places of interest, retail therapy and participating in events organised by our Rotary Club such as Dragon Boat Racing at Edgbaston Reservoir and a Country and Western Music Festival at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. The latter two events usually involve us having a stall selling cakes, preserves, home grown fruit and vegetables to raise monies for our chosen charities. We aim to have fun and fellowship wherever possible.
We support charities close to our hearts. The Club President will choose a charity for her year in office whilst the Club as a whole will also support both a local and an international charity of our choosing.
Members also join District and National activities such as the District Rally when there is the opportunity to meet and chat with our national President; and District Committee Meeting where clubs in the District are able to talk and share ideas over lunch/dinner and a glass of wine! The annual national Conference also attracts members to a variety of locations around the UK and gives the opportunity to meet up with other Districts and Clubs. All in all, it is a very sociable and friendly organisation that has been kept a secret for too long! New members are most welcome to join us – please do get in touch.
Club President
Presidents 2023/24 – Gay Bligh, Daphne Fowler and Janet Tomlinson with (standing) IPP Anita Tippin
President Anita’s charity for the year was Riding for the Disabled (RDA), a charity close to our hearts as one of our members is a volunteer with RDA. We had two visits to local RDA centres. In December we joined the children and volunteers at Stourport for their Christmas Show. It was delightful to see the children dressed up and making such good progress with their balance and motor skills. In June 2023 we visited the children at Woodgate Valley in Birmingham. These children have severe physical and learning difficulties which is challenging for the volunteers. But nevertheless, we saw on the faces of these children what it meant to them to on a pony although they will never ride independently. The RDA is solely funded by donations, so we were pleased to give them a generous donation at the end of Anita’s Presidency.
Much of our fund raising has been via donations in addition to running two very successful stalls at the Rotary Dragon Boat Race and at the District Christmas Meeting allowing us to enjoy good fellowship and friendship.
Socially on a very hot day we enjoyed a day out at Croome Court, we have visited the theatre, dined at Birmingham’s College of Food and at Christmas time at Hillers Farm Shop. Another very successful year for the club
At the beginning of the Inner Wheel year (July 2021) with Covid restrictions still in place we were meeting on Zoom. That all changed in November 2021 when we met at the home of one of our members for an interesting talk from Rotary President Subodh on his trip to the Himalayas followed by a delicious Pot Luck Supper – we never seem to fail at providing a well-balanced meal without even discussing what each members is making! It was wonderful to have a ‘live’ speaker after so many months of being on Zoom but better still was the seeing of each other and the chatter!
In March we had a wonderful visit to Riding for the Disabled based at Stourport Riding School. There were children of all ages with many disabilities taking part in the riding classes. It was amazing to see the youngsters master balance, horsemanship and jumping – all of which improve their physical ability and confidence. Parents watching on the side lines were full of praise for the skills of the voluntary teachers and helpers – another charity our Club has supported over the years and will again in this current year in addition to our on-going commitment to the Birmingham City Church Food Bank.
May saw members enjoy the District International Rally with speakers from the Association of Inner Wheel and Project Gambia, and also club Fellowships with speakers talking on Mary Quant and the broadcasting of the Proms.
In June we supported our Rotary Club at their annual Dragon Boat Race on Edgbaston Reservoir. Twelve teams competed – We were supporting the team from Breast Friends Solihull, one of our previous charities. We manned a stall selling delicious home-made produce. And finally in June Club President Chris handed over to our new President, Anita.
Delicious home-made goodies on sale at the Rotary Dragon Boat Race event
Committee Members
Daphne Fowler – Secretary
Janet Tomlinson – Treasurer
Diane Aspinall – Int. Service
Chris Pile – Membership & Development Gay Bligh – Club Correspondent
Maggie Moore – Health & Safety
Charities We Support
In December 2022 some of the club visited one of RDA’s centres to watch their Christmas presentation – demonstrations by three separate classes which illustrated their riding skills – very impressive. The event culminated in the appearance of Santa Claus and then visitors were invited to take delicious light refreshments. A lovely prelude to Christmas.
November 2022 – Club members provided Christmas-themed items for our sales table at the District Committee Meeting at the West Midlands Golf Club, Barston. This included two Hampers of Christmas food/Drink together with seasonal food items. The club raised a significant amount of money for our Charity account (About £237) This will go towards our contributions to Riding for the Disabled and Birmingham Crisis Centre.
The run up to Christmas (2021)saw us buying toys for all the children in the care of Birmingham Crisis Centre over the festive period; such a worthy charity which we are pleased to support.
Newsletter
District 6 latest news
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