Well done to Dr Peter Gordon who was great in giving out my ‘Welcome Packs’.
Almost Specialist Registrar standard…
But more seriously it was good to see so many good #Twitter friends in my audience, as I played personal messages by Kate Swaffer and Norman McNamara, and films by Beth Britton and Peter Gordon. It was a huge delight to catch up with Gill Phillips who gave a superb gift from the group. I especially enjoyed talking to Darren Gormley, whom I’d never met before. It was brill to meet Lee to, for the first time. I really felt amongst research friends too, with Neil Chadborn and Jo Moriarty in attendance. I completely was at one with feelings expressed by Lucy Jane Marsters about aspects we must get right in future, and James Murray-White had a sense of humour I won’t be forgetting in a hurry (top bloke, I hasten to add!) I learnt a lot from Zoe Harris, and felt I understood her innovation for care, and I felt I had executed my duties in describing the support given by carers.
Whenever I had a despondent moment during my talk, I looked at Shaun Naidoo who at least had the grace to talk at my jokes. It was a honour that Margaret Kilby made it too from Stafford to represent, like Beth, the lived experience of caring for someone extremely close with a dementia.
Above all, the afternoon was dedicated to Charmaine Hardy, Sam and Ben. I organised with some of my guests that we would arrange for Charmaine to come up to London to see us, as we missed her so much today.
I really couldn’t have been happier.
