On Saturday, 20th September 2025 we held our first Thal & RIA face to face patient event. This was organised and hosted in collaboration with the Red Cell Network, London, who travelled to Bristol for this event.
It was held at the Double Tree by Hilton Bristol City Centre. We had entertainment for the younger guests from football goal, corn in the hole, connect four, a crafts table, and limbo; as well as a face painter, singer/guitarist and magicians who also did balloon toys (as pictured).
As it was an almost full day event, we provided drinks and some food.
Amy Cooper gave a talk on gene therapy in thalassaemia, and we had a panel discussion which included patient, consultant, specialist nurse and psychologist input.
A patient told their story, and this was followed by some group discussions as well as patients networking with each other to share experiences.
We also had some charities attend the event who provided information leaflets and much more. There was CAN Homepage – Together We Can and Bristol OSCAR Home – Oscar Bristol. You can visit their websites to find out more about what they do and how they can support you and/or you can support them.
A big thank you to everyone who attended and helped make the day so special. We hope to be able to run this sort of day once a year. We can’t wait to see you at the next one… Suggestions for future events welcome. 😊
If you have any suggestions for our next event, please contact us.