The conference was introduced by the chair of the club, Val O’Brien with the news that next year’s conference dates had already been set and that it would be in Stratford-upon-Avon on the 30th to the 31st March 2020. As part of her opening address she relayed some interesting facts about Manchester although given the that it was April fool’s day, some delegates seemed unsure as to which facts were true and which were made up. But indeed, it is true that William Cowherd from Salford near Manchester is credited with first advocating the theory of vegetarianism in the UK!