At the National Associa-tion of Master Bakers (NA) conference, held at the May Bank Holiday weekend, in Stratford-upon-Avon, social events played an important part.

The Neil Houliston memorial cup was presented in memory of Keith Houliston’s son Neil, who tragically died in a car crash on Christmas Day this last December. It was won by Martin Houliston, another son, who triumphed at the competition which took place earlier in the day at the 18-hole Warwickshire golf club.

Keith, who works for Bakels, handed the cup over to Martin, who is the new business development executive for Bako Northern.

Keith Houliston told British Baker: “I am delighted that Martin won and also that he has joined the industry, working with Bako.”

Since Neil’s death Keith has participated in courses with the police and fire brigade to educate youngsters about the importance of wearing seatbelts. He has also appeared on local BBC and ITV programmes.

Special certificate

Past president of the NA, Henry Jefferies, presented Babs Waring with a special certificate honouring her husband Sid Waring’s lifetime ser-vice and support to the NA. Sid, who died late last November, had been a past president of the Berks and Oxford associations, as well as LASER. One of his daughters, Janet Carr, runs the craft business – with shops in and around Reading – and also sits on the NA board.

The weekend conference also included a banquet, a fancy dress buffet with a Caribbean theme and a cruise on the River Avon.