Lots of us met again in Stratford-upon-Avon at the Holiday Inn on the banks of the River Avon. On the Saturday some of us enjoyed a cruise on the river....wiith a cream tea....whilst others visited Europe's biggest butterfly farm and had a little bit of retail therapy in Stratford itself. We welcomed 14 familes with three new families also joining us - two families flew in from Sweden and one from Ireland and some joining us for the Sunday morning main meeting.

On Sunday morning we were pleased to welcome Ms. Meryl Davis, Consultant Vascular surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in Hampstead, London and Jane Linward, Clinical liasion nurse at Great Ormond St Hospital. There was a good discussion on how to move forward in securing a specialist adult clinic in the UK and the difficulties in moving from paediatric to adult care. 

We had a great time in Manchester, with 16 families coming together at the Novotel in central Manchester, some flying in from Sweden and Ireland. On Saturday, some families enjoyed a ride on the Manchester Eye, whilst many visited Manchester United's stadium, which was very popular.We enjoyed a social get together on the Saturday evening where we were able to meet old friends and make new ones. We had new families join us and again, the response was one of appreciation for being able to meet others in similar situations and the children to realise 'it is not just them '.

On Sunday morning, families were able to meet orthopaedic, vascular and genetic specialists, whilst the children enjoyed an entertainer and games. All to soon it was time for a buffet lunch before the weekend came to a close and we went our separate ways. It was a great weekend and we already have people who 'just can't wait' until the next time..!!

Family Weekend 2007, Bristol.

The 2007 family weekend took place in Bristol. Once again it was great to meet up with one another and to meet new families. We welcomed families from around the country, with some friends joining us from Ireland. Many families took up the offer of free family tickets for a day at Bristol zoo, whilst others opted for a visit to the SS Great Britain in Bristol harbour. Whichever was chosen, all had a great day and we swapped stories and caught up with each other's news in the evening. Sunday morning saw more members joining us and while the children took part in a Mad Science morning - lots of fun and VERY messy.... others heard talks by Dr Syed of Gt.Ormond St Hospital, Helen Young of St.Giles Hospice, Litchfield and an open question and answer session hosted by Professor John Harper of Gt.Ormond St and Head of our Medical Advisory Board. Once again, everyone got so much from the wekend....here is what a couple of families thought of their time with us...

"When Matthew was diagnosed with Proteus Syndrome, it was stressful and daunting as we had never heard of Proteus Syndrome and there was limited information available. Professor Harper and Jane Linward at GOSH told us about the Proteus Family Network U.K."

"No better way of meeting other people in the same boat than at the Family weekend. The most recent weekend was in Bristol and it was the first one we attended. It had a good balance of family time (we chose to go to the zoo), medical information from experts in their field and swapping stories with families in the same situation."

"We really enjoyed the weekend and our only regret is that we started feeling comfortable with the other families when it was time to go home."

"We look forward to the next weekend away."

"We are grateful to the organisers for a well-organised and informative weekend."