FALKLANDS War veteran Simon Weston captivated the audience when he appeared as motivational speaker at the Rotary District Conference at the BIC.

The author, public speaker and charity supporter told the gathered Rotarians how his life changed when he was severely burned during the Argentine attack on the RAF ship Sir Galahad during the Falklands War.

In his speech, Walking Tall, he showed video footage of himself on a stretcher after the attack and told how he had turned his life around.

And he spoke of his friendship with First Lieutenant Carlos Cachon, the Argentine pilot who dropped the bomb that caused his injuries.

Bournemouth Rotarian Julian Sandy, who was among the audience, said: “He’s such a forgiving man and very funny and inspirational.”

The conference for Rotary District 1110, which includes parts of Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, took place at the BIC, with a host of talks from civic and business leaders.

BBC South Today presenter Sally Taylor spoke movingly about her recovery from breast cancer, while the conference also heard from Russell Hobby, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, and Amanda Davison-Young, managing director of Newsquest Southampton and Winchester.

Some 500 members attended the conference, 100 years after the British Association of Rotary Clubs was founded in 1914. It focused on the future of the charity – how to attract young people and how to work effectively with the public sector.

District governor Mike Jackson, welcoming guests at a breakfast event, said: “We have an opportunity this weekend to bring ourselves up to date and to embrace the future based on the firm foundations we’ve all built up and value.”

He said Rotary had 1.2million members worldwide, with 34,000 clubs in 200 countries. But he said it had to embrace the age of social media.

“Rotary has achieved much in its first 109 years but the marketplace for our values and our shared commitment is full to bursting,” he said.