I was welcomed to a very warm Chesford Grange where willing staff were waiting to meet you. What follows are the personal reflections of one delegate to the Conference.

Having unpacked I went down for a drink (outside as the weather was glorious) before the buffet. At our table there was a lively discussion on a variety of topics. It was nice to renew my acquaintance with colleagues and meet others for the first time.

Breakfast was a treat with plenty of choice (hot/cold/English/European) and you could help yourself to any combination. I engaged in conversation with another PHCSG member and, suitably fortified, we went to register. This went very smoothly – I was welcomed in a friendly, courteous manner and given a very useful bag – large enough to accommodate all the paperwork that I accumulated – with the conference material. I was pleased to meet Jill Riley, the administrator, as we had spoken on the phone many times in the past. She had checked with the hotel about my special dietary requirements prior to my booking and been generally helpful and friendly.

The Conference Programme was full, leaving me with the dilemma of which presentation to attend on more than one occasion.
Click here for feedback on presentations attended

It has been some years since I was last at a PHCSG event and I was pleased to find that the choice of venue and organisation were as good as ever. I found the conference stimulating and some of the information has already been useful to me at work. One thing that I came to realise is how much work is going on “behind the scenes”. Also there were several themes that kept recurring during the conference.

During the breaks I was often busy – visiting stands, talking to people about presentations, projects etc. – even whilst waiting for my taxi to take me back to the railway station! However there were chances to relax – my walk, for example, whilst other people made use of the gym or the pool – and of course during the meals.

Thanks to the organisers of the event for arranging a pleasant venue and organising everything, to speakers and exhibitors and also to everyone that I met for making this an enjoyable conference.

Margaret Moore, York