[The Gut Trust]

Here is just a selection of some of the events and activities that the staff and trustees of the charity have been involved with on your behalf during the year of 2006/07.

Jonathan Blanchard Smith, Chair of Trustees, attended:

• A seminar with the Minister for Health Reform run by the Westminster Diet and Health Forum.
• The British Pain Management Society's "Pain in the Older Person", consultative meeting.
• A seminar for the chairs and chief executives run by The National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
• Meetings of The Gut Charities Working Group, an informal chief executive level group with the purpose of identifying common priorities amongst charities working with diseases of the digestive system.

He also continues to attend the National Institute of Clinical Excellence's Guideline Development Group on the management of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in adults in primary care as one of two patient/carer representatives.

Penny Nunn, Development Director, attended:

• The West Midlands Association's Continence Advisors Study Day in Tamworth on 6th July 2006 where she presented a paper 'IBS: whose health is it anyway?' to 180 delegates.
• Gave a presentation to 140 delegates at the Continence Awareness Day in Sheffield, 12 - 14th September 2006. She also organised an exhibition stand.
• Represented The Gut Trust on 29th September 2006 at the Bowels Misbehaving Training Day held at St. Peters Hospital, Chertsey.
• Was accompanied by the newly appointed membership officer on the charity's stand at the Journal of Community Nursing, Sheffield exhibition on 18th October 2006.
• Attended the LMCA dinner at the Labour Party Conference on 'The challenge of delivering accessible patient centred care' on 26th September 2006.
• Attended the 10th Celebratory Dinner of Yakult UK.

Shelagh Grey, Trustee and Leeds & West Yorkshire self help group co-ordinator, attended:

• A stand at the Kirklees Stoma Nurses' Care Day in Huddersfield on Saturday, 6th May 2007, with help from two members of her self help group (Wendy Hargrave and Val Walker).
• Organised a week long exhibition stand about the charity in Harrogate District Hospital between 3rd - 7th June 2007. Members of her self help group who offered their services for half-day stints on the stall were: Margaret Kilburn, Wendy Hargrave, Val Walker, Suzanne Scawthorne, Josie Wayne, and Susan Trevenan.

Trustees and staff engage on an almost weekly basis to promote the activities of the charity to partner organisations. The charity also sees attendance at the BSG and nursing events as a priority. Work still remains to be done in forging better links with General Practitioners.