Past events

The BPA is holding its AGM and Autumn Conference in Shirley, Birmingham, on Saturday 10th September, 2011.

It is at Shirley Methodist Church, about 3 miles south of the centre of Birmingham, on the A34. It is  2 ½ miles (10 minutes) north from junction 4 of the M42. There is a car park behind, and there are buses which go past the church.

It will start at 2pm, with a brief AGM, and then have talks on porphyria by medical experts and patients.

It will include a buffet tea, and a chance to talk to others with porphyria.

If you would like to come, please let us know, in one of the usual ways (letter, phone, email or online) to help with catering numbers.

The British Porphyria Association (BPA) organised an International Patient Day on Thursday 14 April 2011. The day ran from 0900 to 1530 and was held at The ATRiuM in Cardiff.

The patient day included clinical presentations from doctors, patient experience presentations from some of the BPA committee members and presentations from other international patient groups. These talks were informative and enjoyable and provided families with insight into the types of porphyria and the management of the different conditions. In addition, during the breaks, the different BPA committee members were available to discuss their experiences of how the different conditions have affected them.

This day followed an international Porphyrins and Porphyrias conference held every two years, when porphyria experts from around the world get together. The last one was in Stockholm in 2009. It is hoped the next one in 2013 will be held in Switzerland.

The British Porphyria Association (BPA) organised an International Patient Day which was held on Thursday 14 April 2011.  The day ran from 0900 to 1530 and was held at The ATRiuM in Cardiff.

The patient day included clinical presentations from doctors, patient experience presentations from some of the BPA committee members and presentations from other international patient groups.  Talks were informative and enjoyable and provided families with insight into the types of porphyria and the management of the different conditions.  In addition, during the breaks, the different BPA committee members were available to discuss their experiences of how the different conditions have affected them.

This day followed an international Porphyrins and Porphyrias conference held every two years, when porphyria experts from around the world get together.  The previous one was in Stockholm in 2009.  In 2013, it is hoped the conference will be held in Switzerland.

We held an open committee meeting in Manchester, at the NOWGEN centre, on Saturday afternoon, 19th March.

Any members are welcome to come and talk to the committee at any of these events.  If you want to come, email or phone our helpline .

We have produced a BPA calendar for 2011.

As announced in our newsletter, we held a competition for photos for this calendar.

It can be obtained by writing to Karen Harris – address below, or email helpline@porphyria.org.uk.  The cost is £6.50.

We are planning to produce another for next year.  So do send in your photos.

You may submit up to 6 photos along with your name, age and contact details.
Send them high quality prints, or a disk to Karen Harris, 14 Mollison Rise, Gravesend, Kent. DA12 4QJ;  or email high quality jpegs to photos@porphyria.org.uk.