LJMU helped ensure the 500 UK and overseas nurses who attended the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) annual conference received a warm welcome when they arrived in Liverpool.

The University fought off stiff competition to host the four-day event, which took place from 8-11 April in the Adelphi Hotel. LJMU staff, students and representatives from key regional health providers worked throughout the conference as ambassadors, making sure the delegates got the most out of their stay in the city.

Drama students also played a part in welcoming the visitors, entertaining them on the first day of the conference with a light-hearted tribute to the city. The LJMU production outlined the history of nursing in Liverpool, profiling two key characters, Kitty Wilkinson, who provided a wash house for people during the cholera epidemic of 1832, and Agnes Jones, who ran the Brownlow Hill Workhouse Hospital after training with Florence Nightingale.

The play was well-received by the delegates and Professor Kate Gerrish, chair of the RCN, said: "I would like to thank the students for an excellent, entertaining and informative introduction to Liverpool."

The conference began with a welcome address from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Brown, who outlined how Liverpool has evolved in the build up to the Capital of Culture celebrations and the role LJMU has played in raising the city's profile.

Dr Debbie Mazhindu, who led LJMU's bid to secure the conference, said: "There's no doubt that Liverpool's position as 2008 European Capital of Culture helped us fight off stiff competition to host this prestigious event. Along with the Mersey Partnership, we proved the conference would bring income into the local economy. Not only will the event help to put Liverpool on the map as a major conference venue but it will also firmly position LJMU and our partners at the forefront of nursing and healthcare research."

LJMU helped organise the RCN conference in collaboration with the University of Liverpool, Edge Hill University and the local health economy.

Photo: Conference Ambassadors Gill Ritchie (Royal Liverpool Hospital), Lynda Appleton (Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology ) and Trish Ashcroft (Whiston Hospital) pictured with LJMU's Dr Debbie Mazhindu outside the Adelphi Hotel.