Harrogate 1 : London 0 - a change of venue

Why change? Why Harrogate? The UKMC in considering the question of whether to break with an almost hallowed tradition of holding the Autumn meeting in London were ultimately persuaded that change was inevitable on the grounds of cost; the Society will save £24,000 a year in the cost of running the meeting by switching to Harrogate, more than £70,000 on room hire over three years. There are only three venues in London capable of accommodating the BGS meetings and events of a similar scale; in consequence the venues use their monopoly position to charge very high prices, prices which have been increasing year by year to a point where the Society felt compelled to examine alternatives, and Harrogate offered the most convenient and cost effective alternative.

Valley Gardens

Facilities in Harrogate
The Harrogate International Centre is regularly ranked amongst the top three in the annual league table of the most successful venues in the UK and probably all readers will be aware of reports in the media of the various high profile conferences held there.

The main auditorium seats 2000, and there are additional rooms that seat 100, 250 and 300 to accommodate parallel sessions, as well as a hall of 1,120 square meters for the commercial exhibition and catering, in addition to myriad other rooms for the many activities that go with the our meetings.

In addition to the Moat House Hotel, which is linked directly to the Conference Centre, there is a wide range of accommodation on offer. The formal Dinner will be held in the Majestic Hotel, an impressive 19th century hotel set in 12 acres of award winning landscaped gardens, only 5 minutes walk from the Conference Centre.

The joys of Harrogate
Medicinal springs were discovered in 1571, leading to the development of Harrogate as a spa resort in the 19th century. It remains a very genteel town surrounded by extensive gardens – The Valley Gardens (comprising many acres of floral displays, the Royal Horticultural Society Garden (68 landscaped acres), the Montpelier gardens in the centre, the dramatic Plumpton Rocks, and 200 acres of lawns in the Stray. There are smart shops in Oxford Street and Cambridge Street; and the Royal Pump Room Museum is well worth a visit.

Betty’s Tea Shop
Betty's is something of an institution in Harrogate (though there are also branches in York, Ilkley and Northallerton). It was started by a Swiss émigré who brought his mouth-watering recipes to the spa town. It is probably the best tea-shop in the North. Specialities include "fat rascals", a rich cake containing currants, almonds and spices, which is best eaten warm with cholesterol-restoring butter; Yorkshire curd cake; a range of scones; Sachertorte; chocolate fancies - the choice of mouth-watering treats is infinite.

Betty's also serves excellent meals and snacks. It sells some of the finest coffees and teas available. In the early evening, a pianist adds to the timeless atmosphere of this wonderfully unspoilt café.

The provision of such fine fare does not come cheap: however, no visit to Harrogate is complete without an hour or two spent sampling Betty’s wares. It is not uncommon to see leading politicians enjoying a life-enhancing fat rascal when they are here for the conference season. Top stars appearing at the International Concert Centre also invariably take tea at Betty's.* (The Society declines all responsibility for the effect of a visit on your waistline!)

A touch of the self-indulgence
‘Exhilaration, euphoria, total relaxation and absolute cleanliness’ (but no CME points!) are promised at the Turkish Baths, with their Moorish design and splendid arches dating from 1897. (Allow 2½ hours for maximum benefit.)

The surrounding area
This also has much to offer the visitor, reflecting the importance of the region in history –Aldborough Roman Museum, Fountains Abbey, the castles at Knaresborough, Ripley and Spofforth, whilst an obelisk commemorates the site of the last Civil War battle at Marston Moor. Before turning to prayer in the cathedral in Ripon, you may wish to visit the Prison & Police Museum, the Workhouse Museum of Poor Law and the Courthouse Museum (used for the TV series Heartbeat) in Ripon.

Access? It’s a doddle!
By air - the expanding Leeds/Bradford airport is just 20 minutes drive away and provides direct links to e.g. Amsterdam, Belfast, Brussels, Cork, Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, London, and Southampton. Manchester airport is a 75 minute drive away.

By train - train connections are well developed with regular services from Leeds (every half hour) and York (every hour) to Harrogate. In turn, York has direct rail connections to Bristol and Penzance, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester, in addition to being on the excellent GNER line between London, Newcastle, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Total travelling time from London to Harrogate can be as little as 2 hours 35 minutes. Sadly the Welsh have been a bit neglected in our industrial heritage and would need to change in Manchester coming from Cardiff; likewise changes en route are necessary coming from North Wales.

By car - there are good north/south and east/west motorway connections (details will be provided in due course) giving easy access to the UK motorway grid which, depending on traffic, provides potential for happy motoring. Harrogate has 6000 parking spaces, some at the Conference Centre itself.

Your support is sought
This is a dramatic move for the Society, forced on us by economic circumstances. The change may be welcomed by many, but equally may seem daunting to others like me - resident south of Watford. However the key ingredients of the Autumn Scientific Meeting, the clinical excellence of the programme and the opportunity to commune with your colleagues will remain unchanged. Please therefore, be bold and support the move; we need you there!

But all that is next year, don’t forget this Autumn meeting!

*Mention of Betty’s was ecstatically insisted upon by the two Meetings Secretaries and this authoritative recommendation was supplied by Prof Graham Mulley (quintessential Yorkshireman).

Richard Lynham
Administrative Director