The Big Event

A typical conference, yesterday

So this weekend was the first time in my adult life I’d been in a group of more than 15 diabetics who weren’t nervously waiting to be talked to by the consultant.  I was willing attendee of this site’s official favourite charity Diabetes UK at The Big Event held at Warwick University – confusingly located near Coventry.

After initially grabbing our name-tags at registration we then went out to the sports hall where the complimentary childcare was being organised and deposited two excited children.  As they were also looking after diabetic children we managed to skip the detailed drop-off required for those kids with more specific medical requirements.  The childcare was run jointly by Fit4Sport and Diabetes UK volunteers and their families.

On return to the main building we were met by the charity’s President, Richard Lane.  A wonderfully welcoming man who seemed very impressed by my parents’ decision to get me a life membership soon after diagnosis.  He then called over Barbara Young who was less impressed and gave a smiling comment of “Well, we have made a net loss with you haven’t we.”

We then proceeded upstairs to the Exhibition Hall (a slightly grand name for a large conference room) to see stands from some well-known and not so well-known names in the field of diabetes care. Those present included Bayer, NIHR Diabetes Research Network, Mylife Diabetes Care, Lacorium Health, Cellnovo, Mind, Abbott and Diabetes and Diverse Communities.  In this room was also a ;