It would be very easy at the end of the LCA Conference for everyone involved to congratulate themselves on a very successful event and then simply return home until the next time. But this year there was some extra help that should be acknowledged.

The Conference has indeed developed into a consistently successful part of the LCA year, but because the 2009 event celebrated the Silver Jubilee year of the Lead Contractors Association, it deserved to be a very special occasion.

Originally the Conference was designed as a “thank you” to the elected members of Council for their commitment to the LCA during the year. This commitment involved not only travelling to attend Council Meetings, but also carrying out a variety of tasks as directed by the Chairman, as well as supporting all LCA events. Their most critical task, however, was in the fulfilling of their on-site vetting responsibilities to ensure the lead work design and application standards of the LCA membership were being maintained.

Particularly in today’s economising environment, where cutting costs encourages cutting corners, vigilant vetting remains the Council Members most significant contribution to protecting the quality standards reputation of LCA members.

All of which is done in their own time and their own expense.

Even attending the Annual Conference is not a “freebie”.

Council Members and other invited guests, such as past Council Members and associate members, including manufacturers from the Lead Sheet Association, all have to pay their own travel and accommodation costs. If they participate in any aspect of the social programme (which supplements the formal Council Meeting), they share the costs of that as well.

Planning for the 2009 Conference to be a special event therefore included taking a hard look at any additional costs involved – and this is where a number of organisations rose to the occasion by sponsoring various aspects of the Conference in Aberdeen.

Their support enabled enabled a few “extras” to be added to the normal proceedings and the result did justice to 25 years of effort and commitment by a dedicated group of past and present Council members.

The Chairman of the Lead Contractors Association would therefore very much like to thank the following Members and Associates, as without their help the 25th Anniversary 2009 Conference would not have been the undoubted success that it was.

ASSOCIATED LEAD MILLS

CALDER INDUSTRIAL MATERIALS

JOHN FULTON (PLUMBERS) LTD

JAMESTOWN GROUP

MARTIN (UK) LTD

METAL PROCESSORS LTD

NDM LEAD SHEET SPECIALISTS LTD

T&P LEAD ROOFING LTD