"Euston - we have lift off"

On December 8 2002, 60 BSA members, family and friends 'lifted the roof' at the Ambassadors Hotel in Euston, London. The occasion was our first-ever BSA Christmas party and wow, what a party it was - an unforgettable experience.

We began the afternoon with a reception in the Windsor Suite followed by a four course lunch and dancing till 7pm. Then some of us went to a 60's show at the London Palladium and others moved on to a nearby pub.

It was John Bowden's birthday (Vic, his wife, is a BSA trustee) so we presented him with a Liverpool Football team cake and sang Happy Birthday. John and Vic then 'opened' the floor and the dancing began. Our DJ, Rob Day, did a fantastic job with the music and every age group was catered for. Almost everybody danced at one time or another and most of us hardly left the dance floor. The atmosphere was electric - people were really letting their hair down and not afraid to be themselves - it was lovely to be a part of such a happy and lively crowd.

I had the pleasure to organise this party on behalf of the BSA and among the comments I received from people later that week were: "This was one time I was so thankful to have a stammer, I met so many lovely people" - "I can't remember when I really let go like this" - "I'll never forget that day - are we doing this again next year?" The answer to that is yes - we'll be having another party like this in the spring of 2004 - so if you've missed this one, make a note in your diary - first day of Spring: 21 March 2004.