Family, Friends and Carers (FFC) OCD Conference

[Ashley]

OCD-UK are delighted to announce the first event of its kind, an OCD conference with a difference, a conference aimed entirely at the family, friends and carers of people with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

This unique conference takes place in Reading, Berkshire on Saturday 25th July 2009 where we have gathered some of the countries leading OCD specialists. We have tried to offer a balanced conference which offers something for all dynamics of FFC, from parents of young children with the illness, to parents of adults with the illness and something for partners of OCD sufferers.

The conference is priced at just £15 to OCD-UK members and to their family/friends, regardless of the OCD-UK member attending or not. Non members of the charity are also welcome with tickets priced at £22 for non members.

The conference introduction can be read on our website here. The full agenda for the conference can be found here. You can also book your tickets on the website here.

We really hope that you will enjoy the conference and we all learn from it. Looking forward to seeing you all there.

[Guest tangoblu]

An excellent opportunity as well as a very interesting looking conference - I'll be there :a1_cheesygrin:

[Guest worriedmum]

I REALLY REALLY wish we could go to this but we will be at a wedding. This conference sounds perfect for our family. Will there be another one some time?

[Ashley]

Hiya Worriedmum,

It really depends on the success of this one. If the interest is there and it is well attended then we will look to repeat a similar event either next year or in 2011 but if there interest is not there, and so far it is a low take up then we may struggle to justify the expense of setting up such a conference.

Ashley

[Guest worriedmum]

Hey Ashley

well I really hope that you get more interest in this conference so you DO hold it again. We would love to be there and look forward to reading all about it afterwards. What a great opportunity to meet up with other families like that, I am sure it will be such a huge encouragment and help to everyone. Wish I could go.

All the best.

[Guest Seaview]

Mr Seaview, We are definatly going! so see you there.

[Guest Seaview]

when do we get tickets?

[Ashley]

Hi Seaview,

We don't actually issue tickets to help keep our costs down, all you will need to do is provide your name/s at the registration desk where we will have a list of attendees. I did email confirmations out last week to those that had already booked prior to Thursday. Please do let me know if you never got that email and I can check we have you on the system.

As it stands now we have 50 guests attening, we do expect to close the bookings off at 75 people which we think is a good number to ensure a good Q+A sessions but not too many that it makes it hard to give everyone opportunities.

Ashley

[Guest Seaview]

Didnt recieve e-mail

sorry

can you send again

[Ashley]

Hi Seaview can you PM or email me with yoru details so I can resend the email (if you not already got it), I am guessing my emails were being filtered out.

The good news is we have a good agenda, and a good number of people attending tomake the conference work and the Q+A parts of the day work. We have about 75 people confirmed with about 15 spare places still available for anyone that would like to attend.

Ashley

[Ashley]

Yes Drifter, our conferences are open to anyone to attend, but this one is obviously specific to FFC. We do have a few sufferer's attending, but to avoid confusion I do emphasise to them that this event is not aimed at sufferers like our previous events, but that said hopeflly they will still learn too.

[Ashley]

For those coming tomorrow, I hope you have a safe trip here, and we look forward to meeting you all. Details of how to get to the venue were emailed out to all those that booked yesterday, but I have pasted here too.

Just a quick update for this coming Saturday’s conference. To update you we are now expecting approximately 100 people to attend, all of whom like you have been affected through loved ones OCD. We hope that throughout the day, regardless of relationship dynamic you all have that you can learn from each other’s shared experiences, so please do take a moment to introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you.

We hope Saturday is a learning day for all of us, the charity included, we want to learn what else we can do to support you, the family of people with OCD. Be that through day’s like Saturday, or through more day to day support. So please also say hello to the OCD-UK team there on Saturday, Maria, Diana, Kylie, Vanessa and Ashley. We will all be there throughout the day, and will wear our OCD-UK name badges to make it easy to spot us.

Ok, so How to Get Here?

Once on campus we are using rooms 109 and 111 of the Palmer Building. Please do all take a moment to study the campus map, attached and can be found on our website here: http://www.ocduk.org/10/reading/campus.pdf The Palmer building is indicated in square C5 and is indicated 26. Once within the building the registration desk will be there to greet you and we will have a tea or coffee waiting for you upon arrival, and again during the morning and afternoon breaks.

Lunch is not provided, but Cafe Libro will be open in the Library (building 2) and with the weather promising to be warm and sunny, why not grab a sandwich from the cafe and sit on the green near the lake for a mini picnic!

To find your way to the campus we have placed a Google Map and a Campus Map on our website here: http://www.ocduk.org/10/reading.htm Sat Nav postcode for the main Shinfield Road is RG2 7BW. Then if you drive onto the campus there is parking available in car park 2, marked P2 on the campus map (square B4). Please note that this car park is marked permit holders only, but can be ignored on Saturday, the university have allocated this car park for us.

For those coming by train, simply board buses 20 or 21 from stop SJ right outside the station. They run every 10 mins and takes 12 mins to a stop right inside the campus a short distance from Palmer Building. Reading buses have the farebox system where you have to put exact money in the box when you board - Single fare anywhere within Reading is Adult £1.70 Child £1.20, and Return (which is actually an all day ticket) Adult £3.50 Child £1.90 - people need to have the right coins for this.

However you’re planning to get here, we wish you a safe trip and if you do have any problems finding the venue, or the Palmer Building please call Ashley on 0779 321 1263.

See you Saturday!

The OCD-UK Team

Morning Session

10:15 - 10:20 Maria Bavetta - Introduction

10:20 - 11:00 Dr Victoria Bream - Keynote

11:00 - 11:20 Melanie Wells - Inspirational speaker

11:20 - 11:35 Break

11:35 - 12:20 Dr Isobel Heyman - Keynote

12:20 - 13:00 Neil Bailey - Inspirational speaker

13:00 - 13:45 Lunch Break

Afternoon Session

13:45 - 14:20 Dr Fiona Challacombe - Keynote

14:20 - 14:50 Anna Coughtrey - Keynote

14:50 - 15:05 Break

15:05 - 15:25 Vanessa Rogers - Inspirational speaker

15:25 - 16:10 Christine Wilding - Keynote

16:10 - 16:15 Maria Bavetta - Close

Accommodation Suggestions:

B&B accommodation at Blackhorse House on campus which is situated not far from the Palmer building: http://www.fmd.reading.ac.uk/Events_and_ca...orse_House.aspx

Comfort Inn

39 Christchurch Road

Reading,

RG2 7AN

0118 931 1311

[Guest SallyB]

I would like to say how helpful this conference was. My husband spoke at it and took his best friend along as support. It has helped my husband so much as his friend now has a much greater understanding of OCD and how my condition affects him. I didn't go as I couldn't get the time off work, but Neil said that this enabled him to say things that he wouldn't have said if I had been there.

Plus there is the networking side of meeting others who suffer in the same way but trying to support those close to them with OCD, which must be horrendous for them. But meeting others facing the same difficulties can be so helpful.

Anyway, I guess I'm saying thankyou to Ash and the team for organising this as it has helped Neil and myself already just by us talking about what Neil said in his talk, how his friend reacted, and what others said on the day. Hopefully there were others that found it helpful in the same way.

Thankyou!

Sally

[Kylie]

Sally,

Neil was amazing - he spoke so well, and was also extremely amusing at times (I so have to get that book he refers to - the one about piglets)!! He had the whole audience at ease, and gave a wonderful incite into how it must be to live with a sufferer.

As a sufferer myself, I was given a whole new understanding of just exactly what my husband must have gone through - and as such have even more admiration for the way he supports me.

xxx

[Guest SallyB]

I think that's why I would have found it so difficult to attend - I feel guilty enough about what I put him through without listening to it first ahnd! He is a funny old stick though - I think that's what keeps us going! Been together for 18 years next month and married for 14 next week!

Sally

[Ashley]

The feedback suggests that the entire day seems to have worked so well, and for me it was so interesting to listen to Neil to hear from a partners point of view. This conference is the first that seems to have moved so many people to tears, and even I found it emotionally draining yesterday, but I hope emotional for people in a positive way.

Sally, Neil was fantastic, I have already told you but wanted to say it in public. Sadly Neil was the only part I managed to listen to, but he speaks so clearly and really the 'tough love' message he gives out is what we the sufferers need from a partner, if not always what we want

I have had amazing feedback about Melanie, the mother of Joe Wells (author of Touch and Go Joe) who also spoke, and again I am told our Vanessa was also very moving when speaking about her experiences of OCD to close the day.

In the audience was the mother and cousin of a young lady who sadly took her own life last year because of her OCD. I feel very honoured to have had a moment to chat to her during the day and the lady is such an amazing lady, so determined to help prevent this happening again, and her and the friends have already donated £1000 to OCD-UK to create some posters, which the young lady's friends are going to design. Her spirit is so amazing.

The most difficult conference I have managed for so many reasons.

[Guest worriedmum]

It sounds like it went so well, we are sorry we missed it. I am sure many were encouraged by it and even if emotional.... it was probably helpful to be able to share experiences with those who KNOW what you are going through. That's the hardest thing... feeling like you are alone in the OCD nightmare. And how can you ever really tell someone ALL the gory details without scaring them away. I really hope there's another conference like this in the future...

Well done.

[carolj]

It really sounds as though this conference was worth every single second of all the organising that went into it, well done everyone involved and I really hope I can be there next time.

As much as a sufferer can only truly understand what another sufferer is going through, the same applies to the non OCD sufferers in a family, only other non OCD sufferers really understand and we do need each other!

[Guest YorkshirePud]

Hi all, Neil here.

The conference was a great day though unfortunately I had to rush off. I know a whole day plus drive at the end would just knock me for six with my ME.

I really enjoyed speaking and getting some wonderful comments afterwards too. I gave out my email address to a few people at the time, but if anyone else wants to contact me directly then please do PM me and we can catch up.

Take care all.

Pud

[Guest SallyB]

I would just like to add that Neil sent his talk to my parents-in-law and they have just listened to it and said that it was really illuminating.

It's been really difficult for me having OCD as I feel that Neil's parents would feel that he would be better off with someone who is 'normal'. However they made the effort to listen to his talk and found it interesting - I guess what I'm saying is that these are the last people I would expect to understand mental illness but I am really pleasantly surprised - there is hope out there.

Sally

[whitebeam]

I'm glad to hear that they found his talk interesting and that they seemed to understand.

I wouldn't think they would prefer for Neil to be with someone 'normal'. You're the one he loves, has chosen to be with and makes him happy - and that's what is probably most important to them.