Federation Conference Brighton 2011

A full report of the conference is to be found on the SIGBI website but this is an account of 30 soroptimists and partners from our region who  travelled to Brighton for the Federation Conference and had a holiday

Tuesday 25 October.  We had a leisurely journey, stopping for coffee in Acton Trussell, lunch in Banbury and arriving in Brighton in time for dinner.  Our first challenge: to know when to stop eating

Brighton Beach

Wednesday  26 October. We drove up to Mitchelham Priory. We weren’t quite sure what to expect but were pleasantly surprised to find that the gardens were delightful with many sculptures on display. The remains of the Priory which had been converted to family living accommodation several centuries ago had  fascinating displays on the history of the Priory in its variety of guises.   After lunch we took a scenic trip along the coast, stopping at Beachy Head.  Wonderful views but a powerful wind.  So windy in fact that we nearly lost one of our party, who was in a wheelchair,  over the edge.  Not amusing at the time!   The day had been inproved by the weather: pouring with rain in the coach, but every time we stopped, the sun came out.  What is that quotation about the righteous?

Thursday  27  A free day. This meant a tour around The Brighton Pavilion for some of us and of course retail therapy. This opportunity naturally meant that we were free to enjoy the conference to its full.

  Brighton Pavilion     

Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday were taken up with what was an excellent conference

Sunday 30  We returned home via Windsor

Windsor Castle

We had had a great 6 days and are grateful that one of our members,  Ailsa Lyles from SI Preston, has the skills to organise  the holiday for us.  Travelling together is a good way to get to know our regional friends and their partners.