The Burrendale Hotel in Newcastle was the venue for the 2016 St Vincent de Paul Members’ Day which saw more than 80 members of the charity’s Northern Regional Conferences gather to listen to presentations and to take part in workshops under the theme of ‘One Society of St Vincent de Paul’.
After a welcome and prayers from Regional President Aidan Crawford, members were updated on the Region’s work along with reports from the Society’s operating Committees. This was followed by a presentation on Clare Lodge, the charity’s respite and well-being Centre which is located on Newcastle’s Central Promenade, during which the audience heard how successful the Centre’s first year of operation has been and what plans are in place for the Christmas period and the upcoming 2017 season.
The guest speaker at the event was Professor Eileen Evason, who spoke on Welfare Reform in Northern Ireland. Earlier this year Professor Evason led a group which published proposals to mitigate the impact of UK-wide welfare reforms in Northern Ireland.
