Hi Everyone

As we enter 2005, plans for a Spring Meeting are well under way and you can see more details inside from Sarah. We are already looking forward to what promises to be a very interesting and enjoyable time.

Looking back over 2004, it is pleasing to think of the achievements of the Group. We have received a record amount of donations and this has meant that ideas have become realities

The Meeting in Edinburgh was a great challenge to organise due to distances involved and it was wonderful that everything went according to plan.

You may remember that in June, Dawn, Robert and myself visited the Dutch Support Group’s Annual Meeting. (See reports inside). This was an interesting and stimulating experience and has given us a fresh vision for the 2005 meeting. We now look forward to welcoming two Trustees of the Dutch Group to that meeting.

Robert Searle had a fine idea one day in the summer when he suggested HMESG trolley coin key rings. Again, quite a challenge to organise, but after much hard work Dawn came forward with the goods and they are selling well and raising awareness at the same time.

The Christmas cards are something that we have wanted to produce for some time and this year it was possible. These were very popular and with 1000 cards being sold, awareness of HME will have been raised in many places.

Alongside this, we continue the most important work of supporting those affected by HME.

I would like to thank all the Trustees for their continued hard work. They really are a committed group of people.

We are growing! There is no doubt about that. We are heading towards a membership of 300, many of which are families with several members with HME. We are therefore in touch with many more than 300 people – the real number is unknown. With this growth, workloads increase and to cope with this we are looking for a couple of extra people to take on new roles.

Sadly Debi Roper will be stepping down as Newsletter Editor now and so we will also be looking for someone to take on this role as soon as possible. I am sure you will agree that Debi has produced some excellent newsletters and we will miss her enthusiasm and support in this area enormously – thank you Debi! Luckily she will still be on the Committee and helping us in other areas. (Details of all vacancies are inside.)

Finally, as always we are grateful for your support and look forward to the next year with great energy and determination!

Helen Small

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