Could Cardiff Conference be seen as one of the important milestones in the history of the BDA?
The Cardiff Conference went reasonably well as has been aptly put by BazzaDeaf in his column. The main positive outcomes were that people have said that the atmosphere and the turnout were more like what the BDA should be about.

The numbers of exhibitions and the overall ‘full house' feel, the attendances and the positive buzzing vibes abounded. Both David Jackson's ever popular quiz game on Friday evening and the relaxations among the alcoholic fumes of the Dinner Dance on Saturday evening were a wondrous bookend to the main conference programme during the day on Saturday.

The main meat of the conference was balanced with the variety of speakers, touching on Welsh politics, Interpreting and Deaf Blind. One of the positive outcomes from the morning session is there is now a potential for a better prospect for the Welsh Deaf Community to engage with their policymakers and to raise awareness of the issues with the politicians, which was aired at Cardiff Conference.

In the afternoon we had a series of representatives from various universities and were glad to see academics explaining their key projects/researches and where the BDA has been useful to bring together two communities. I would hope to see more of such engagement in the future between both communities, of the academics and the equally valuable community members; both are important to the future of the Deaf Community in UK.

What people were interested in, what they were talking about, is the new CEO Simon Wilkinson-Blake being introduced to members; a hearing CEO for a national Deaf organisation is of course a topic that would rightly be of enormous interest. Such interest that indeed brought See Hear to Cardiff, to film us and where I was interviewed to explain our position regarding Simon. I of course stated our views as to the BDA remaining a Deaf-led organisation as in last month's article.

I am delighted to have Simon addressing himself to our BDN readers in this month's issue, and I'm confident we would come to appreciate his work on how to drive the BDA further forward.

On a personal note, this was my last conference in the role of the Chair, as my term is ending in December this year. The balloting for members to cast their vote to select the new chair of the BDA will have been completed by the time you read this and hopefully made known to BDA members through direct letters and on our website.

Cardiff Conference marked a transition period between the old, of the blurring in between, and the new era, with the new direction that is coming from a new CEO and a new Chair to come. Also marking another transition, between the instabilities of the BDA's finances and hopefully a continuation of more prudent financial administration, resulting from the management and Board working closely together in tandem.

Finally, a transition between a time where BDA members were left outside on the perimeter, attempting to get a look in and understand what was going on with their organisation, and where BDA members are being better able to understand what is going on. We will continue to need the active participation and support from every member to carry the BDA forward with us.

The BDA may be an institution, but one with members, who bring soul and life to the organisation. I'm sure those who attended Cardiff Conference can appreciate the difference and progresses that have been made.
Still, there are more roads to travel, more progress to be made and in the capable hands of our new CEO and the Board with the new Chair and trustees to be elected. The stormy weather is now largely behind us and it does look sunnier here onwards.

A milestone reached? Perhaps I should say instead, a real turning point for the BDA has been reached and thanks to each and every one of our Members for your continuing support.