In April 2024, we decided to merge the Regional Gatherings for London and the South East, and host a joint get-together at The Science Museum in London. The response was amazing, and we ended up with over 60 of us marvelling at the incredible displays and sharing time for coffee and chats.
The Science Museum was chosen as a venue that had something to offer all ages – our younger members were fascinated by the “Wonder Labs” with a range of interactive science experiments and live displays fuelling their imaginations, and the older members headed to the “Power Up” gaming room to reminisce with computer games like MarioKart and PacMan or to experience the latest AI virtual reality headsets. During both sessions, there were plenty of opportunities to talk to each other and get to know each other, which is such an important part of our annual day out.
Before the sessions opened, we were able to gather in the café, where introductions were made for our first timers, and they could ask any questions about our charity. This is always such a lovely time as we see those families who have been before extending a warm welcome to our newcomers, who are usually understandably nervous and, more-often-than-not, haven’t met anyone else with CMN. It is also great to see our members greeting each other and catching up, discussing any issues that may have come up since they last met.
As the sessions in the Wonder Labs and Power Up room came to an end, we all met up for a late lunch before heading home, or in a lot of cases, heading back to the museum’s exhibits.
As usual, the event proved how important the support that we can give each other is. Hopefully we can offer another fantastic Regional Gathering for 2025 and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there!
