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{short description of image} BRITAIN IN 87!

WORLDCON U.K. BIDDING NEWSLETTER NUMBER ONE
APRIL 1984

If you've already met and been revolted by the fangs of our British Bulldog, you know what this is all about – turn over to check that you've signed up. If instead you're vaguely wondering whether it's a picture of Hugo Gernsback, read on.

The time has come for the World SF Convention to return to Britain. Once each decade is about right, and past British Worldcons have taken place in 1957 (London), 1965 (London) and 1979 (Brighton). The hour approaches! And 1987, as we keep remarking at tedious length, is a Significant Anniversary. Not only is it thirty years after the first British Worldcon, it's fifty years from the first organized SF convention ever – Leeds in 1937 when men were men and cons happened in Theosophical Halls with no bar. Attendance then was eleven, including Eric Frank Russell and Arthur C. Clarke – who supports us, as do Brian Aldiss, Isaac Asimov, Kenneth Bulmer, Ramsey Campbell, Richard Cowper, Chris Evans, Harry Harrison, Garry Kilworth, Anne McCaffrey, Peter Nicholls, Chris Priest, Lisa Tuttle, Ian Watson, James White, Jack Williamson, Gene Wolfe and many, many more.

Worldcons these days are huge events – there were 6,400 people at last year's in Baltimore. Happily, Britain is well prepared to run one. We have large reserves of fans who learnt their job running Seacon '79, and many more accustomed to play their part in the national Eastercons which are now hitting near-Worldcon size with Seacon (no relation) '84. That's the advantage of a cosy little country like Britain: it's small enough that major events can draw on the whole nation's resources rather than one local fan-group's.

How do we acquire a Worldcon for our very own? The 1987 venue will be chosen by polling members of the 43rd Worldcon, 1985 – Aussiecon II in Melbourne. Our wonderful British bid faces hefty opposition from two US bids. We need to campaign, advertise, cajole, and generally persuade all and sundry of our superior wonderfulness. Then comes the vote. To do the decent thing and lend us your support, you can: –

(1) Spread the word and send money! Campaigning is expensive. A mere £l gives you presupporting membership (and counts against your membership fee when we win). Larger donations, brilliant ideas and valuables for auction are perpetually welcome.

(2) Real fanatics can enlist as Aussiecon II supporters and take part in the vote. Their main address is in Australia (funny, that): GPO Box 2253U, Melbourne 3001. Or UK agent Joseph Nicholas will take your membership – 22 Denbigh St, Pimlico, London, SW1V 2ER. The £17.50 sterling (supporting – until July) brings you all manner of goodies.

And who are 'we'? The steering committee features Malcolm Edwards in the chair (Gollancz SF editor, Seacon '79 concom), Chris Atkinson (award- and poll-winning fanwriter), Dave Langford (TAFF winner, 8 Hugo nominations), Colin Fine (Seacon '84 concom), Hugh Mascetti (Oxcon chair) and Martin Tudor (Novacon veteran). Further vainglory from these and members of the larger committee being recruited will appear in future issues. Meanwhile, don't forget our address (ex-UK agents overleaf) and do please send a donation.

BRITAIN IN 87, 28 DUCKETT ROAD, LONDON, N4 1BN, GREAT BRITAIN

BRITAIN IN 87 OVERSEAS AGENTS

Australia: Roger Weddall, 79 Bell Street, Fitzroy, Victoria 3065. (Presupporting: $2A.)

France: Jean-Daniel Brèque, Résidence Britannia 2, Ent.E, Apt.70, 141 rue des Douvres, 59240 DUNKERQUE. (To be confirmed.)

Netherlands: Roelof Goudriaan, Postbus 1189, 8200 BD Lelystad.

Sweden: Ahrvid Engholm, Maskinistgatan 9 ö.b., S-117 47 STOCKHOLM.

U.S.A: Marty Cantor, 11565 Archwood Street, North Hollywood, CA 91606-1703. ($2 US)

Gary Farber (new address), 420 Vine Street #108, Seattle, WA 98121.

Also: You can rush £1 via credit transfer to National Girobank account 24 475 4403, or hand £1 sterling (or $2, or the equivalent of £1.50 in local currency) to one of our roving volunteers such as Bryan Barrett (PO Box 6202, Hayward, CA 94540, USA), Jan Howard Finder (PO Box 428, Latham, NY 12110, USA), Pascal Thomas (PO Box 351293, Los Angeles, CA 90035, USA) – or any Britain in '87 committee member!

PRESUPPORTING MEMBERS

Gene Wolfe
Rosemary Wolfe
Peter Nicholls
Clare Coney
Chris Evans
Faith Brooker
Malcolm Edwards
Chris Atkinson
Dave Langford
Martin Tudor
Paul Vincent
Colin Fine
Hugh Mascetti
Steve Green
Chris Suslowicz
Brian Aldiss
Harry Harrison
Tim Illingworth
John Dallman
Katie Hoare
Martin Hoare
Robert Sneddon
Dai Price
Steve Davies
Teresa Hehir
Peter Weston
Stu Shiffman
Roger Robinson
Joseph Nicholas
Judith Hanna
Richard Animal Edwards
Ye Gerbish
Peter Cohen
Martin Easterbrook
Margaret Austin
Christina Lake
Lilian Edwards
Larry van der Putte
Zweitse Klaus
A Vincent Clarke
Terry Hill
Margaret Hill
A Oddwove
John Styles
Alex Stewart

Ashley Watkins
Roelof Goudriaan
John Paul Smit
Paul Kincaid
Ms. Marina J A Holroyd
Carey Handfield
Lawrence Lambourne
Michael Molloy
Dave Ellis
Roger Perkins
Kathy Westhead
Duncan Booth
Dave Rowley
Joy Hibbert
Barbara Rochford
Jimmy Robertson
Phil Palmer
Simon Ounsley
Dave Raggett
John Steward
Steven Tudor
Paul Dormer
Owen Whiteoak
Gwen Funnell
Pauline Morgan
Eve Harvey
John Harvey
Gerry Webb
Martin Smith
Alan Dorey
Rochelle Dorey
Linda Pickersgill
Lawrence Dean
Lisa Tuttle
Chris Priest
Chrissie Pearson
John Wilkes
Richard Vine
Mike Moir
David Bell
Urban Gunnarsson
Chris Donaldson
Paul Oldroyd
Pete Gilligan
Chris Seller

Graham Middleton
Darroll Pardoe
Rosemary Pardoe
Kay Allan
Lisanne Norman
Stuart Sutherland
Vernon Brown
Pat Brown
Mick Gadd
Sue Gadd
John Meaney
Yvonne Meaney
Charles Mawdsley
Dave Holmes
Chris Ingham
Bruce John Macdonald
Andrew Rose
Justin Rogers
Em Stachelski
Tony Berry
Margaret Welbank
Nick Lowe
Andrew Hall
Steve Lawson
Laura Wheatly
Steve Mowbray
Peter Wareham
Caroline Mullan
Mike Scott
Alison McDonald
Bernard Leak
David Elworthy
Jonathan Coxhead
Steve Bull
Stephen Rothman
Cobi van Hemmen
Jef Bryant
Andre de Rycke
Walter Belpaeme
Carlos Moens
Peter Smits
Hetty Smits
W te Poel
Guido Eekhaut
G Gorremans

Marc Corthouts
P de Leeuw van Weenen
Jeroen Nijenhuis
Dirk Bontes
Jan van 't Ent
Gerard Suurmeijer
Lex Molenbroek
H F Pronker
Henk Langeveld
Paulus Meys
D M Sherwood
Aandi Inston
Ann Green
Simon de Wolfe
Helen McNabb
Alun Harries
Ann Looker
Vicki King
Garry Kilworth
David S Garnett
Anne McCaffrey
Andy Hobbs
Mal Ashworth
Jonathan Cowie
Graham Koch
Bryan Barrett
Isaac Asimov
Arthur C. Clarke
Jack Williamson
James White
Ramsey Campbell
Vincent Docherty
Andrew Tidmarsh
Esther Tidmarsh
Ian Watson
Shep Kirkbride
Frank R. Smith
Richard Cowper
Kenneth Bulmer
Jim Cawthorn
friend of Jim Cawthorn
Ann Collier
David R. Smith
Malcolm Furnass
(April 1984)

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