As pointed out at the beginning of the Newsletter the Pole at Regent Street at long last has been move, and we would like to thank the Minister Mr Phil Braidwood, for his intervention with his new department, and we look forward to similar action to remove all the other ones that impinge ingress and egress by disabled people from their cars.

The Chairman of The Friends of the Manx Diabetes Centre, was invited to participate in a focus Group for the Discharge Project Team at Nobles Hospital . The object was to discuss the problems with the present discharge process of patients, suggestions and improvements and what needs to change.

As you can appreciate we cannot enumerate everything that has been done by your Group during the Course of the Year as I would run out of space. For that you shall have to come to our Annual General Meeting in May next year.

I would however not like to leave you without thanking the Committee for their wonderful and onerous work during 2005.

My special thanks however must go to Mr John Houghton MHK, one of our Trustees, for his invaluable help guidance and intervention in the House during the course of the year for the diabetic patients on the Isle of Man.

Without his help nothing could have been possible.

We cannot close without saying a big thank you to all the Staff at the Manx Diabetes Centre who have worked like Trojans during the course of the year. Sometimes looking after our diabetic community, under very trying circumstances. Let us hope that during 2006 we do not deliberately miss any of our appointments at the Centre.

From January to the end of October they have had 180 new patients referred to the Centre from GP surgeries

To all, many thanks for your help, words of assurance and encouragement during 2005 which makes the efforts of your Group that much easier.

May your God be always with you.

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The Last Laugh

A Vicar and a Taxi Driver died on the same day.

Naturally they went up to heaven at the same time.

When they arrived at the Pearly Gates an Angel was waiting for them.

The Angel without hesitation said to the Taxi Driver “you go right in”.

But the Angel told the Vicar that he had to wait.

The Vicar was most indignant, he remonstrated with the Angel:

“I have been preaching the virtues of your religion all my life, I am an educated man, the Taxi Driver does not have as many degrees as I have, yet you let him just walk into Heaven, and you stop me, Why am I being treated like this?”

“Well” said the Angel. “When you preached, everyone went to sleep, but when the Taxi Driver drove, everyone prayed”.

This Newsletter is published by the Friends of the Manx Diabetes Centre. Carryn Laare Chingys Shugyr Vannin (01624) 613702 The Support Group of the Manx Diabetes Centre.