HSBC Malta Foundation board member and wife of HSBC Bank Malta’s CEO, Jennifer Beane, speaks to a model wearing a dress made entirely of Maltese lace. For the 10th year in a row, Marquis Nicholas De Piro of the Casa Rocca Piccola Trust and organiser Margaret Farrugia kept alive this unique art that has been much sought after and appreciated for centuries. The annual event culminated in a competition of 120 items submitted by around 80 participants. All hand-made lace items were exhibited for a week at the Italian Cultural Institute, Valletta. HSBC Malta Foundation once again sponsored the event. Bottom: Marquis Nicholas De Piro and Marchioness Frances de Piro with the winner of the Casa Rocca Piccola Trust award, Martha Farrugia, 6, who is flanked by her mother and sister.