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Politics, International Relations & Philosophy

Special 90th Birthday Celebrations for Owen Powell

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Posted on 09 April 2010

The School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy (SPIRE) and the World Affairs Group held surprise celebrations for Owen Powell’s upcoming 90th birthday, founder of the successful World Affairs Series. The World Affairs Series is an annual programme of talks and subsequent discussion and debate focusing on a range of political topics and matters of national and international importance, with a regular audience of over 300 members.

 

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Mike Tappin and Owen Powell, World Affairs Series,1 April 2010.

Mike Tappin presenting to Owen Powell the book of 90th birthday messages.

 A book of 90th birthday messages had been secretly compiled for Owen from staff in SPIRE and from the World Affairs Group, both audience and past speakers, which was presented to him by Mike Tappin, Lecturer from SPIRE, and who was also the guest speaker in his former role as city Labour leader, at the latest lecture series' final talk on 1 April 2010. This was followed by the World Affairs Group honouring Owen with a standing ovation for all his work on one of the most successful adult education courses in England, which will also be celebrating its own special achievement of 30 years in September 2010. Owen is not only the founder of this series, but he is also the sole organiser of the programme and host to the guest speakers which have included Arthur Scargill, Digby Jones, Trevor McDonald, Shirley Williams, and former Guantanamo Bay prisoner Moazzam Begg.

The series is due to run again in October 2010 and programme details can be found here:

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