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Swanwick 2015

 

 

Swanwick 2015 Main Building

Here I am again for my 10th consecutive stay at the Writers’ Summer School and the grounds of The Hayes Conference Centre are looking as glorious as ever. One very welcome innovation is a free hot drinks machine in the bar. (Regular doses of caffeine are definitely needed to keep most of us on our toes.) Soon the lawn will be filling up with writers from all over the UK and beyond, chattering away nineteen to the dozen and trying to balance cups of tea and plates of cake. It’s always a joy to catch up with old friends – in my case with one VERY old friend, last seen in the flesh in 1972 – and make new ones. As a veteran Swanwicker, I’m now sporting not only a yellow badge but also a pink one to show that I’m an ‘Ambassador’ and particularly approachable if problems arise. Not only that, I’ll be a table host for White Badgers (newbies) at the first evening meal to spare them the worry of wondering where and with whom to sit.

Swanwick2015Lakesideexterior

Many of them, like myself, will be staying in comfortable en suite rooms in Lakeside and will enjoy a stroll round the lake or a quiet read on one of the handy benches.

Swanwick2015lakeview

The speaker this evening is crime writer Alex Gray and I’m sure the Main Conference Hall will be packed to hear what she has to say.

8 August, 2015 - Make the first comment on this story

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