It was a full house for our April meeting when Tracey Hancock, Development Director of The National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, was our guest speaker.

She delivered a fascinating talk about how NRAS has grown from the original two people - working round CEO Ailsa Bosworth's kitchen table - to a staff of 20 today which is heavily involved in lobbying government to improve standards of RA care nationwide and make sure muscular-skeletal conditions are included in the NHS reforms.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and THE RiNG is launching a Norfolk variation on the NRAS RA Early Awareness campaign. Well, ours is a county which likes to do different, after all, but we've all got the same aim of making the public more aware of the symptoms of the disease so they know to go straight to their GP and request testing.

Needless to say, despite everyone thoroughly enjoying Tracey's presentation, the very best part of the afternoon was the lavish birthday tea. Home-made cakes are always a feature of meetings of THE RiNG - but Val Radley had made her famous Black Forest Gateau. Not that it was there to be admired for long, and nor was her Whiskey Fruit Cake. Other members had chipped in with a huge range of scrumptious treats including cakes, cookies, savoury nibbles and sausage rolls.

 THE RiNG celebrated its fourth birthday in style!

Did you know that you only have about three months from experiencing the first symptoms of inflammatory arthritis before you could suffer irrevocable joint damage?

THE RiNG is launching a public information campaign to make people aware of what they need to look out for - so they can go straight to their GP and report their concerns.

Have you experienced any combination of:

• Persistent joint pains
• Early morning stiffness, lasting at least 30 minutes
• Swollen joints, which are painful if squeezed
• Redness/warmth in the joints
• Fatigue
• Flu-like symptoms?

If so, book a GP appointment for assessment, analgesia advice, initial blood tests and possible referral to a Rheumatologist.

We are launching our campaign to coincide with Arthritis Care Awareness Week from 14th May and intend to combine media coverage with information stands at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital and elsewhere to draw public attention to the risks, in addition to distributing leaflets.

Didn't we have a lovely time the day we went to Cromer?

It was the perfect day out. Everything ran like clockwork and Val Thornhill, who organised the event, had even booked glorious sunshine, warmth and a gentle sea breeze. Lunch at The Tides Restaurant on the pier was prompt, service was friendly and efficient and they got 20 orders spot on in a very short time as we had to get off to the Show.

Jenny Smith and Ann Grady enjoyed a nice little stroll round the pier en route. There was much to see, including the RNLI Lifeboat Station where a very nice lifeboat man told us all about the history of the building, which was constructed some 13 years ago. Don't we just love men in uniform?

Cromer is apparently the very last End of the Pier Show in Britain, and the talented cast included a ventriloquist, a stand-up comic and a unicyclist on steroids whose antics included jumping his bike over a rather well-endowed lady without injury. Good thing that 'Elf and Safety had taken the afternoon off.  

Viv, Jane, Elaine and Bridget got together for tea and an ice cream in the interval. Unfortunately Bridget really wanted tea - she'd been in the loo at the crucial time so couldn't be asked - and then it was Curtain Up in two minutes but never mind. Ice cream was good though.

All too soon it was back on the Spratts coach driven by the delightful Chris and THE RiNG summer outing was all over for another year. Whatever shall we come up with for 2012?

 Our quiz maestro Chris Preston had us all on parade for the Lions annual quiz at Mulbarton Village Hall in April. The valiant six - Chris and his wife Helen, Judith Virgo, Viv Hawes, Steve Ranns and Jane Scarfe - did their best but South Norfolk's finest got the better of us and we came eighth out of 14 teams. We did brilliantly on lyrics from the Beatles but the name of the dog in The Artist alluded us until ten seconds after we'd handed over our answer paper. Yes, thank you Helen, it was Uggie. Shame you didn't come up with it a bit sooner!

Another Saturday night, another Gala Quiz at the Afternoon Bridge Club HQ in The Costessey Centre - and THE RiNG team had a great night even if we didn't win. Alright, even if we were nowhere near winning. OK, seventh out of 10 if you insist!

But it was tightly packed at the top and our 85 points put us only five behind winners The Magnificent Seven with 90. Perhaps it was fortunate that one of their team members dropped out as The Magnificent Eight doesn't have quite the same ring, does it? And THE RiNG supporter Hao Clayton was on the winning team with her husband Les, so we felt vindicated.

THE RiNG team of Steve and Jayne Ranns, Chris and Helen Preston, Viv Hawes and Jane Scarfe was greatly supported by the addition of Charles Rabbidge and his mother Win - the only nonagenarian in the competition. And, would you believe, the definition of the term came up as a quiz question - and Win wasn't familiar with that term for a 90-year-old, though she was well informed on world leaders immediately after the Second World War. Well she would be, wouldn't she?

If you'd like to talk to us do call our friendly reception service on 0800 055 3637. It is staffed in office hours or you can leave a message during evenings and weekends.

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THE RiNG is now working with Rheumatology Consultant Dr Chetan Mukhtyar and his colleagues at the Norfolk & Norwich Hospital to establish a Buddy Scheme, where newly diagnosed patients will be given our contact details and encouraged to get in touch with us.

The idea is that those who like the idea should be allocated a Buddy - similar where possible in age, gender and disposition - to support them through their first weeks living with Rheumatoid or another inflammatory Arthritis.

We hope to offer one-to-one personal support and practical advice to complement the medical input from the hospital. There is worthwhile and enjoyable life after a diagnosis of RA, and we are living proof of that. Furthermore, the vast range of new drugs now available means that the prognosis for newly diagnosed patients is usually much better than it was even 10 years ago.  

This is an exciting new development in the life of THE RiNG and we hope to make a difference to new RA patients - including younger ones.

A change is as good as a rest - and this year THE RiNG Christmas Lunch took place in the Ellingham Suite at Park Farm, where a good time was had by all. We appreciated having a lovely room to ourselves, the excellent food, charming staff and being waited on rather than collecting our food from the buffet.

 As usual, everyone dressed up in their best and looked wonderful as you can see from the customary photo collection.

We also thought the circular tables - five of them seating eight apiece - worked well and were more conducive to conversation. 

Many of you received a link to all Robert Scarfe's photos of our Christmas party via the Picasa website. That still works but we are hoping to be able to access all Robert's photos via a special gallery on this website shortly. It's a work in progress in the capable hands of the wonderful Mike Jones from Paston Chase who built our website. We'd better be nice to him because then he will expedite the process! Meanwhile, take a look at a few of the other pictures which I have inserted below.

It was a packed house for the latest meeting of THE RiNG to find out more about Hotter Shoes - which have recently opened a store on Norwich's Gentleman's Walk.

Claire Kett and Helena Hopkins from Hotter told us all about their shoes, which are 95% manufactured at their factory in Lancashire, which turned out 1.3 million pairs of shoes last year.

Other interesting fact were that all shoes have removable soles which can be hand-washed to freshen them up and that they are specially designed to allow wriggle-room for toes.

There was a raffle to win a free pair of shoes - scooped by Julie Parling.

The next meeting of THE RiNG on Wednesday 7th September at 2pm  - which also includes the group's AGM - will be on coping with the psychological pressures of a long-term health condition.

Meet the team who worked hard on behalf of THE RiNG on Bank Holiday Monday 30th May 2011.

Left-to-right Hao Clayton, THE RiNG vice chair Viv Hawes and secretary Elaine Bounds and committee members Steve Ranns and Chris Preston. You'll have to imagine Val Thornhill who had just wandered off for a cup of tea when the photo was taken! Come to think of it, she was probably with Jennie Newby who isn't on the picture either ..........

We had information about inflammatory arthritis to hand out to all comers, plus our friend Hao had made toy clowns and Washi eggs - an ancient Japanese craft - which were also on sale at the Fete.

THE RiNG committee member Chris Preston organised a bric-a-brac stand and Sue Burrows from the NNUH Rheumatology Department and her husband Robin displayed their Titanic models and gave us half the proceeds from a tombola.

All in all we raised just under £100 which, although no fortune, was a great achievement in these recession-hit times and every penny will be going towards benefits for our members. We are paying for the coach for our Summer Outing to the End of the Pier Show in Cromer so that will be a great contribution.

There was encouragement and reassurance, particularly for newly-diagnosed RA patients, when the N&N's newest Rheumatology Consultant was guest speaker at THE RiNG birthday party in April.

Dr Chulanie De Silva presented a positive picture of how far RA treatments have progressed in recent years - and stressed her determination and that of her colleagues to get the best possible treatment for Norfolk patients under their care. New biologic treatments are coming on line and the future looks bright.

It was a welcome first opportunity for some members of THE RiNG to meet her - or get to know her a little better - as she has been taking over many of Prof David Scott's patients as he moves towards his full retirement from the NHS in July. Others will be cared for by Dr Chetan Mukhtyar, who also gave an excellent talk to THE RiNG recently.

The cakes on offer were even more delectable than usual, since it was our birthday, and special thanks go to Val Radley for the amazing Black Forest Gateau and Whisky Fruit Cake - both highly alcoholic - and to Jennie Newby for her equally popular Coffee Cake.

We are proud to announce that the National Lottery has awarded us £6224 to promote, expand and develop our work supporting Norfolk people who have Rheumatoid Arthritis. 

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