Lydia Rivlin, Chairman of Tottenham Conservatives, represented the TCCA at the Conservative Spring conference in Harrogate last weekend.

Lydia said: "I had a great time. We had discussions on issues like ecology, traffic management and crime and I heard some extraordinary new solutions for education and health.  There was a real fizz in the air--partly because of all the youngsters at the conference."

Speakers under the age of 25 dominated the morning session on Saturday.

One of the most moving speeches was by a student from York university, who spoke about the effect of crime on his life.

Lydia remarked:

"We sometimes get hung up about kids as the perpetrators of crime and vandalism but we forget that most youth crime is committed against other young people.

When children have to think twice before going out on an evening to visit their grandparents, or it is dangerous to use a mobile phone in a shopping centre to let their friends know where they are, they are as much a victim of urban crime as anyone else.

One kid from round here told me it was always a good idea to check the road carefully before going out the door of his block of flats.  It's just simple common sense but why should we accept that it is normal or acceptable?  That's no way to live."

But the conference was not all serious discussion.  "Saturday night was disco night," said Lydia.  "We bopped 'till the small hours.  It was still going strong when I decided to get to sleep at about 3 am, because I was a bit worried I might drop off during Michael Howard's speech on Sunday morning.  It turned out that would have been impossible.  Everyone was wide awake and full of enthusiasm, there was such energy and a buzz of exciting new ideas. Labour are going to get a pasting at the next election”.