Thank you to everyone who made the journey to Birmingham. We had representation from numerous parts of the UK - Scotland, Wales, and the North, South, East and West corners of England. For some of you the journey involved arriving on the Friday and up to two nights accommodation. I do hope whatever the distance travelled it was well worth the effort. Throughout the day members took the opportunity to meet, chat and make new friends. Listening to the questions being put to the speakers and the interesting discussion that ensued at times, it is clear that members had a lot to offer on the day. The speakers themselves were clearly both intrigued and moved by the wide range of experience and openness. The day appears to have been fruitful for all involved.

Feedback from the evaluation forms completed on the day, and personal notes received afterwards have been very positive, with any criticism only constructive. This feedback is helpful and will be taken into consideration when organising the next conference. We have picked up several ideas for topics for future speakers!

Special thanks must go to the committee and respective spouses, for their support on the day and also for their efforts leading up to the conference. A big thank you to all the speakers for their time and commitment which enabled the conference to achieve so much. Members deserving of a special mention and thanks are Bob Champeau for organising the video, John and Alison Prewer for their help particularly at the start of the day, Deborah Errington for her help throughout the day.

Finally to Paul and Dawn Searle's respective parents who were always there when needed and helped the day to run smoothly. If I have missed personal thanks to anyone my sincere apologies.

Looking at the excited and exhausted children at the end of the crèche session indicates that they too enjoyed the day and had a fun time. I know my two children, Thomas (3) and Charlotte (18months) certainly enjoyed themselves, Charlotte's paintings are still on display on the kitchen wall and Thomas recalls his face painting experience as Spider Man with much fondness!

And now to the future!

We are planning to hold the next conference in March or April 2003. Mark the calendar now! The final date has yet to be agreed, and will no doubt be dictated by Easter and the provision of our first AGM as a Registered Charity. As numbers surpassed our expectation on this occasion and having received apologies from several members who had wished to attend, it is likely that we will need to find a new venue. We are planning to keep the venue in the Birmingham area, as this location is so favourable for all communication links.

The date will be advised as soon as confirmed. In the meantime, Helen and I look forward to putting together another interesting programme and suitable venue to entice you along again.

Thank you for your support, it makes all the hard work worthwhile!

Sarah Nicholls

HME Video

11 November 2002: We are sorry but the video is no longer available.

The programme of the Conference which was recorded on the video was as follows:

Introduction
Helen Small

"What is HME?" "Removal of Exostoses"
Mr T N Theologis, Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford

"Scar Management"
Sophia Mavrommatis, Physiotherapist, Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, Middlesex

"Correction of Altered Shape"
Professor H Simpson, Princess Margaret Rose Orthopaedic Hospital, Edinburgh

"Upper Limb Physiotherapy"
Sue Bainbridge, Senior Physiotherapist and Hand Therapy Specialist, Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford

"The Genetics of HME"
Dr T Cole, Consultant in Clinical Genetics, Birmingham Women's Hospital, Birmingham

"Recent Advances in HME Research"
Mr D Porter, Clinical Lecturer Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Oxford

"Scientific Advances in HME Research"
Mr L Lonie, Research Scientist The Henry Wellcome Building for Genomic Medicine, Oxford

Close
Helen Small

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