click image to enlarge

After a gap of 5 years we held our third conference and our first two dayer, over the August bank holiday weekend. The master of ceremonies was once again the great Joseph Dormer.

This was the year when the conference nearly didn't happen. Originally the conference was due to be held at the Station Pub - a ghastly keg emporium on Dickson Road, Blackpool. The landlord shafted us at the last minute when he decided to hold a disco for visiting chavs rather than host our conference.

After much ringing around, the excellent Park House Hotel agreed to step in at very short notice. We soon realised that the venue change was actually a blessing in disguise. The hotel was a far better venue than the seedy back street keghouse and the group agreed never again to listen to John, our webmaster, whenever a venue was suggested for a conference! 

The ufo conference uk was notable for two events. The first being the slightly paranoid Albert Budden demanding that bodyguards be posted around the stage when he gave his lecture on the alleged link between electricity power lines and UFO sightings. Apparently, this was incase Norweb had smuggled hitmen in to the audience.

The second event came as a consequence of Albert's paranoia. On a blazing hot August bank holiday (quite rare in Blackpool) he also insisted that the fire doors, open for ventilation, be closed lest the hitmen should launch a surprise pincer movement. This raised the temperature in the room considerably and also that of a member of the audience who, at the end of the lecture in an attempt to get some air and light, tugged the drawn curtains a little too vigorously and managed to bring the whole canopy down!

A Fawlty Towers half hour followed as a ladder was passed through the audience so that a 50 year old Spanish housekeeper could climb and nail the curtains back up while at the same time complaining about blokes trying to look up her skirt - she should be so lucky!