I just wanted to say what a great conference is lined up for us. I would like to add my personal recommendation to the talk on Friday morning by Peter Bates.

Was great to meet old friends and new ones!
Peter was good as predicted.
Was excellent to meet Judith, she is much taller than I imagined. I had a picture of her in my mind and was so wrong. So nice to say hello.
Also was good to meet Tony Birt who has evaded me for a while and the other Alliance gang, very nice people.

Simon it was absolutely fantastic to finally meet you, yes and Judith. You and your mental pictures. It was a real pleasure to meet and chat at last Simon it truly was. Jim too.
I actually felt as tho i made some friends this year what a great conference, well done the committee and H/care events. Great.
Just think next year, could it be better?
My very Best
Tony B
ps for all there i am meeting Will today so keep you posted.

Tony,
Every year I find gets better as I meet more people and get more enlightened.
The question time was good but some tough questions, would be good to see this every year but I'm not suggesting I want to be on the panel !

but they didn't ask my question which was NOT the same as the others!

And what was that Jim (and for that matter, what were the others?)?

Simon

mine was about the effect of implementing contingency management. There were loads of others. Diamorphine prescribing, public health v criminal justice, legalisation are a few I remember. John Mann was very good and was surprisingly clued up for a politician - much more so than Brian Idden at the NDTC whose heart was in the right place but was conistently factually inaccurate.

Yes, you may remeber that the 'Mann of the People' (as he styles himself) intiated his own local enqiry into the nature of drug misuse and drug treament some years ago.

Simon

I have the list of questions and said I could talk about contingency managment. We only got the questions as we walked in and was a lot of chin scratching and 'errr, can you talk about that' 'Do you know anything about this..'
It was fun and quite hard, chair was good at sparing us some of the really hard questions.
I agree the MP was good. I hope it becomes a regular feature.

Where is next year's conference by the way? I had an idea whilst driving back home of doing a dvd for next years conference of a patient of mine to highlight some of the messages from the abstinence session and also the excellent Peter Bates lecture....maybe it could be shown(if good enough!) if i get it off the ground...Elmer

London next year please!!

Oh no not London, why not keep something in the middle of the country. What about Harrogate that used to be a nice conference centre.

Yes, Harrogate please. Just imagine approaching the conference centre and seeing the crocuses and daffodils under the spring blossom of the trees on The Stray, passing Betty's tea rooms and listening to the rattle of the London to Harrogate stagecoach on the cobbles....and beeing greeted by a cheery 'Ay-up' by folk who will offer to mind your whippet whilst you try on a new flat cap.

Oh some nice shops in 'arrogate. People from far away can always fly to Harrogate international.
Jim you are right it's time I got a new flat cap, this Harris tweed one is getting a bit long in the tooth.
Bet you are tired Jim, were you up early doors rabbitting with t'whippet ?
All joking aside it's a nice venue with plenty of good hotels.

the front runner for next year seems to be Bristol. We've not been to the North West before (been twice to Yorkshire- Leeds and Sheffield). However thats not confirmed, we have to find out firstly if there is a big enough venue and secondly if there are a bunch of local people willing to champion and help organise it. If you want another venue, 'bids' will be considered if they meet these 2 criteria. Obviously like the olympics any backhanders gratefully received.

I have been an e-mail virgin up to now but am getting with the whole activity .I valued the support from the conference

Patrick welcome !

Come "oop north" Harrogate would be excellent - parkings a bit iffy, but those of us who live in Leeds (or Barnsley) no problems as we can use the train.<GGGG> Seriously folks, Harrogate has the facilities for major conferences.

It appears that the bidding process has been completed and has been won by Brighton (because neither Bristol or Newcastle had a big enough venue. Harrogate sounds a good one though and is close to the North East (ish) and I know its got the venues - we'll bear it in mind for following years.

I have some fond memories of Brighton.