cryonics meetings and events

CRYONICS UK

Meetings and Events

There will be four 2-Day quarterly meetings usually with training on the Saturday and speakers, discussion etc. on Sunday. All meetings are subject to last minute cancellation due to weather etc, always check with the contact if you're coming a distance

The Standby Team is a self help group - Members are required to attend the meetings for training and refresher training - If you cant find the time to attend there is no standby team

Whilst most of the meetings are held in Peacehaven, E. Suussex, the "Cryonics UK Roadshow" is a unique rotating venue that gives more distant members a chance to meet. We anticipate meetings in London, the West, Midlands/North. If you are willing to host an Cryonics Europe meeting please contact Mark Walker.

The Meetings will be held the second week of March, June, September and December

The Venue is at the home of Alan and Sylvia Sinclair - 4 Mount Caburn Crescent, Peacehaven, E.Sussex, BN10 8DW. Tel.01273-587660 (Maps and Directions available if you haven't been before-just E-Mail Mark Walker or click here for the map.) or email Alan Sinclair

The First Cryonics UK Meeting 11th and 12th March 2005

The First Meeting had a good turn out with some new faces which was good to see. Sebastian has produced a report on the outcome

Cryonics UK is a self-help group of cryonicists that provides emergency response services for its members.
In order to be eligible to receive the assistance of volunteers in an emergency, members are required to

1) Join the group.
2) Have a securely funded contract with a cryonics provider.
3) Have extra funds demonstrably committed to cover the extra costs
shipping to the US, the services of a funeral director and the technical costs of a suspension. As a rough estimate, these costs amount to about 13.000 British Pound / 18.000 Euro. Usually, these funds will be part of the cryonics provider's overseas membership scheme.
4) Attend training regularly. Training will take place in the UK on the
second weekend of March, June, September, and December each year. Failure to attend at least two meetings per year without being able to produce a medical certificate will lead to revocation of membership.
5) Pay membership dues of about 120 GBP/ 170 EUR per year to cover the
groups running cost.
6) Be located in the UK at the time the emergency occurs.

Currently, the Cryonics UK is not able will not offer assistance to non-members. Individual private arrangements might be possible but must be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. It should be absolutely clear that such arrangements will likely not be possible and be extremely expensive if they
are. (30.000- 50.000+ GBP per emergency)

Some Details and Questions:

Why is standby service necessary?
Cryonics is all about recoverability. If suspension is not initiated immediately after deanimation (after you are declared dead) cellular decomposition will wreak havoc in brain and body.

Why train volunteers?
In all foreseeable future, US style professional standby services will not be available in Europe. While it might be possible to fly a response team in from the US, costs are considerable and there might not be enough time in an emergency.
Therefore, volunteer response teams have to be trained to the highest possible level. If European membership grows, it might be possible to train up and fund a professional service in the future, but at the moment, the cost is prohibitive.

Why do I have to train in order to receive the service?
There are currently not enough committed volunteers available. If we offered a service without requiring active participation, most people would simply join, lean back and expect to be rescued by somebody when their time comes.
If everybody acts like that, nobody would ever be trained and thus nobody would ever be able to help in an emergency. Therefore, we have to create a huge incentive to be trained. If you don't train, you won't get rescued. If there are absolutely compelling reasons why you cannot train, it might be possible to come to an arrangement but such cases will be very rare.

What about the cost?
There are certain costs involved in the suspension itself. The following enumeration is a very rough estimate that is likely to change considerably depending on whether neuro suspension or whole body, traditional perfusion
or vitrification, transport by ship or by air etc. is required.
Medicines 700 GBP, expendable parts 500 GBP, perfusate 800 GBP, services of a funeral director including paperwork and shipping 10.000 GBP, dry ice for shipping 300 GBP.
Total: 12.300 GBP / 17.600 EUR. (Hence quoted as 13.000 / 18.000 above) Usually, all these costs should be covered by your contract with the cryonics provider and/or through "over-insurance". Cryonics UK will expect that it is reimbursed for all the costs involved in a suspension and it is your responsibility to ensure that enough funds have been committed to that purpose. Please note that these costs are determined on a strict non-for profit basis. There is no charge for personnel, food, running costs, incidental costs, clothing, phone, electricity, ice, etc. Some of these
costs are covered by the membership fee.

Can non-UK citizen join?
Yes. However, we will only be able to rescue you if you are in the UK when an emergency occurs. This is not only due to practical considerations of travel times in an emergency but also due to barriers in language, culture and -most importantly- legal system that would make a service very difficult anywhere else. Luckily, it is very easy these days for any EU citizen to travel to the UK or set up residence when an emergency is thought to be imminent.

Sebastian Sethe