GS15 Practical Information

The venue for GS15 is Bush House, Aldwych, London, WC2. (Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/d3ouPpS8NFK2)

The following practical information is mostly for the benefit of those unfamiliar with London, especially our international colleagues.

Airports

London Heathrow (LHR) and London City (LCY) are the "closest" airports to Central London with the best connections to Central London. Other alternatives nearby but with fewer connections are London Gatwick (LGW), London Luton (LTN) and London Stanstead (STN).

You can of course use taxi/minicabs for airport transport. Alternatively, public transport rail options are as follows :
• Heathrow: Tube (Picadilly line), Mainline (Heathrow Express to Paddington Station)
• City: Tube (Jubilee line)
• Gatwick: Mainline (Gatwick Express to Victoria Station)
• Luton: Mainline (trains available to St Pancras, Farringdon, Citiy Thameslink or Blackfriars)
• Stanstead: Mainline (Stanstead Express to Liverpool Street)

Public Transport (Oyster Cards and Travelcards)

If you are going to be doing multiple journeys per day on London public transport, we strongly recommend obtaining an Oyster Card (available from stations that have kiosks, or otherwise many newsagents). The fares you pay on an Oyster Card are better value than the "cash" fares you pay when buying tickets from the machines.

Depending on how long you are in London or how many journeys you are doing, you may also wish to investigate travelcards (e.g. Day Travelcard, 7-Day Travelcard etc. ).

Useful public transport journey planners for the Central London area

• TFL (London Transport) website (also good for bus/tube maps and bus/tube live status) https://tfl.gov.uk/
• CityMapper London https://citymapper.com/london

Useful public transport journey planners for the Greater London area

• National Rail http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/

Public Transport (Tube) 

The nearest London Underground tube stations within walking distance are as follows:

• Temple (on the District and Circle Lines)
• Holborn (on the Central and Picadilly Lines)
• Waterloo (on the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Northern and Waterloo & City Lines)
N.B. Waterloo is about 20–25 minutes walk because it is on the other side of the river, but the walk is very easy and direct.

Public Transport (Mainline)

The nearest Mainline train stations within walking distance are as follows:

• Waterloo
• Charing Cross

Public Transport (Buses)

The nearest bus stops within walking distance are as follows:

• Aldwych/Somerset House "R" (towards Trafalgar Square) – 6,9,11,15,23,87,91
• Aldwych/Somerset House "S" (towards Waterloo) – 1,4,26,59,68,76,168,171,172,188,243,341,521
• Lancaster Place "T" (towards Fleet Street or Holborn) – 1,4,26,59,68,76,139,168,171,172,176,188,243,341
• Royal Courts of Justice "L" (towards Holborn Circus or St Pauls) – 4,15,341
• Royal Courts of Justice "M" (towards St Pauls or Clerkenwell Green) – 11,26,76,172

Taxis and minicabs

You can, of course, hail a "famous" London "Black Cab" on the street.
We generally only recommend "Black Cabs" for short distances because "Black Cabs" can be quite expensive, especially in the evenings or in heavy traffic (they charge time-duration, not distance, so you will pay for sitting in traffic !). "Black Cab" journeys for longer distances (e.g. London airports) are definitley not recommended, as it is very expensive indeed !

We therefore recommend that (if you have the time to make an advance-booking) you use a minicab company instead, as they will give you a fixed price based on distance. There are many minicab companies in London to choose from, we will just give you two names of well-established and trustworthy London minicab companies :
• Addison Lee – 020 7387 8888 (https://www.addisonlee.com/)
• Green Tomato – 020 7107 0777 (https://www.greentomatocars.com/)

Emergency Services

The phone number for emergency-services in the UK is 999 (although European 112 also works on many phone networks). There are also two SNENs (Single Non-Emergency Numbers) : 101 which is for non-urgent calls to police and 111 which is for for non-urgent medical calls.

If you see any suspicious activity that might be terrorism related (e.g. abandoned bags in public places), please report it to the anti-terrorism hotline on 0800 789 321.

In the event of an major incident occuring in London, we recommend following following Twitter accounts as a reliable source of "official" updates:
• London Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk)
• London Ambulance Service (@Ldn_Ambulance)
• London Fire Brigade (@LondonFire)

The nearest hospitals to the Gender Summit venue with 24-hour Walk-In Urgent Care (Accident & Emergency) facilities are :
• St Thomas' - Westminster Bridge Road, SE1 7EH
• UCH - Euston Road, NW1 2BU
• St Mary's - Praed Street, W2 1NY
• Royal London - Whitechapel Road, E1 1BZ

NHS Accident & Emergency facilities are very busy. For minor medical issues, we strongly recommend using Minor Injury Unit facilities instead. The nearest clinics/hospitals with Minor Injuries Unit (cuts, sprains, small fractures etc.) are:
• SOHO Walk-In Centre - Frith Street, W1D 3HZ (Monday-Friday 08:00–20:00, Weekends 10:00–20:00)
• St Bartholomew's - West Smithfield, EC1A 7BE (Monday-Friday 08:00–16:00)
• St Thomas, UCH and St Mary's hospitals also have Minor Injuries Units.

If you are travelling with a child and are seeking paediatric medical treatment, please telephone NHS SNEN on 111 for advice on the most suitable hospital/clinic because depending on medical circumstances it may be best for you to visit a hospital/clinic that has specialist paediatric facilities and staff. In an emergency, always dial 999.