Midlands members are bubbling

We’re delighted to report on yet another sign that members are moving beyond Zoom sessions – the first UKHA Midlands regional meeting has taken place since Covid interrupted our daily lives.

The end of July gathering at the newly refurbished Holiday Inn, Birmingham Airport also provided a chance to see the hotel looking resplendent with its light, modern makeover courtesy of a £7 million refurbishment project. Housekeepers and suppliers were in attendance to enjoy the hospitality provided by head housekeeper Michelle Lowe. A lovely gift box courtesy of the UKHA Midlands was on the table for each attendee, plus a pouch of cosmetics kindly provided by Liz Downie of ADA Cosmetics.

The guest speaker was Chris James, executive director of Skills Angle. James entertained those present with an interesting and light-hearted presentation on all things water. James revealed that his career began in Portsmouth and Eastleigh, collecting barnacles while working for the nuclear fleet! The task was to study how the larvae of a barnacle goes through seven lifecycle stages, swimming through the oceans before landing on objects to gather calcium on themselves to weigh down objects, including submarines. You learn something every day.

He then turned to Legionnaires disease, pure water and additives in water to make it safe for us to drink and bathe in. James explained why water alone is not the best cleaning agent, and how and why soaps first came about. Finally, he gave a comical bubbles show on water surface tension and how you can strengthen this by adding surfactants – in this case veterinary lambing birthing gel lubricant – to create giant bubbles.