Guest Speakers Autumn 2025
Belfast Homeless Services Charity Liz Rocks and Claire Crummey, gave an update to the Club meeting 17 November on the Charity's work and new premises Liz is the Charity's Service Co-ordinator and Claire is Executive Assistant to James McGill, Hastings Hotels MD and Board Member of the Charity. They highlighted the refurbishment of the new premises has enabled them to increase their volunteers and greatly expand their opening times and services. They still have many difficulties especially with no crash beds provided by the Housing Executive after 5pm so they have no option other than to give them a sleeping bag for them to sleep in a doorway or the street which they feel very badly about. However they continue to focus on the positives and treat these people like they would like to be treated themselves.
Global Scholars Lydia Kim and Hannah Ferguson spoke impressively to the Club Monday 03 November about their backgrounds, studies and hopes and plans for the future. Hannah is sponsored by RC of Westwood Village (Los Angeles) and hosted by RC Newtownabbey and is pursuing a Masters in Conflict Transformation and Social Justice at QUB. Club hosted Scholar Lydia is sponsored by the Charlottesville RC and is pursuing her Masters Degree at QUB in Global Security and Borders. Both Scholars highlighted how impressed they are at the hospitality they have received and how generous people have been of their time to go out of their way help or be a friend and how both courses are unique and perfect for them. more here...
Past President Ivan McMinn in his well-received passionate address 22 September covered Pancreatic Cancer, the Charity NIPAC and an exciting new treatment being developed. He particularly stressed it is essential that everyone familiarises themselves with the symptoms for if people understand the symptoms and catch the disease early the chances of surviving it improve greatly; symptoms are vague but if you get 2 or 3 together go and see your doctor.
Bob Grundy, Director of Innovation and Partnerships at Catalyst, in his well-received address to the Club Monday 13 October noted his role in Catalyst is to drive innovation partnerships which they can support on their innovation journey, highlighted it offers all the essential resources across their 3 sites that innovators and entrepreneurs require to elevate their ambitions and achieve success more rapidly and are looking to see if they can bring the innovation process to society’s most pressing complex problems of homelessness and housing.