Events:

Our events are a wonderful way to get to know others that are in the same situation as yourself. Whether you are Intended Parents,or are a Potential Surrogate,just starting out you will find that meeting with others that are experienced in surrogacy is very beneficial. All our events are open to Non Members as well as Gold Members.

We have 2 types events:

Conferences are held over 3 weekends a year (in Spring, Summer and Autumn). They give members the choice of arriving earlier, for instance on the Friday evening. The main event day tends to be the Saturday when meetings are held and social events run till late. The event concludes on Sunday around lunchtime. Accommodation is available on a first come first served basis and may be booked through, our Events Co-Ordinator, once the venue has been confirmed. Booking Forms are sent out to Gold Members with the Newsletter.

Social events are held monthly all over the country in a casual and informal atmosphere, usually on a Saturday afternoon at a child friendly restaurant. We tend to meet at around 12 noon for a 1pm lunch, then spend the rest of the afternoon chatting.

We are very pleased to see that those members attending our events and participating on our message board are finding lifelong friends and in many cases, the person to start their surrogacy journey with. We believe this to be a good foundation for a successful surrogacy journey.

If you are a Gold Member and would like to organise a Get Together in your local area, please contact our Events Co-Ordinator, with your suggestion. We try to plan and co-ordinate these events well in advance so they can be advertised in the Newsletter for those members that do not have access to the website.

For further information please refer to the Get Togethers forum on our message board or Email our Events Co-Ordinator for a Booking Form.

Events For 2008:

(Dates subject to change - please see the Social Gatherings forum on the message board for full details)
Sat 15th March	Social Gathering, Carlisle
Sun 16th March	Social Gathering, Derby
w/e 11th -13th of April	Spring Conference, Retford
Sat 17th May	Social Gathering, Ruislip
Sat 31st May	Social Gathering, Sheffield
Sat 21st of June	Social Gathering, Ross-on-Wye
w/e 18th - 20th of July	Summer Conference, Leeds
Sat 9th August	Social Gathering, Whittewebbs, North London
TBC September	Social Gathering, Norwich
October TBC	AGM, Swindon
Carlisle	Social Gathering, November
6th of December	Social Gathering, Ruislip

First experience of an Event What a beautiful place for your first large Get Together. The former nunnery and stopping off point of Bonnie Prince Charles is a very grand house that I would not have associated with Youth Hostels. A lot of my nerves had dissolved after the mini-GT in York the previous month. Thank you to all of you who were encouraging and welcoming on the message boards. Especially to the small group who made it to York. However, going to the Spring GT at Hartington Hall, I'd developed new apprehensions. My fiancée has known since well before meeting me that surrogacy may be her only option if she wanted children. I'd only ever heard about it on Trisha. Years ago. I'd never seen when I might need to travel that road. It was only for people with poor fertility, wasn't it? My youthful arrogance said "so, why would I be infertile!?" And there lies the two biggest worries I had before the GT. We're on our surrogacy journey because of a 50% fatality risk to both mother and child as a result of pulmonary hypertension. As such, how could I relate to those who have gone through years of IVF, especially those blokes with few/poor sperm? And would I now find myself infertile too!? It came as a shock that couples were at Hartington for reasons other than low/poor fertility. (I should get on the boards more, I know!:) An even more pleasant surprise came on the Saturday afternoon. Whilst the IMs and SMs were having their sessions, there I was talking with two lads who have gone through IVF and a third who had successfully gone through IVF and was now supporting his wife along their new host SM journey. The four of us even managed to answer questions that I most definitely would not have felt comfortable asking during our IF session. In addition to finding out more about surrogacy and SUK, the weekend gave us a chance to get on with the equally important task of socialising and making new friends. Chatting and sharing a dorm with another couple definitely helped. And we'll do it again. There are several people from Hartington I'd like to consider as friends. I hope they will count us as friends also. I look forward to making many more. Thank you to everybody for making us so welcome to the boards and the GTs. Thank you for answering my questions, even ones I didn't know I had! I'm looking forward to seeing you all at another GT soon. Here's to an enjoyable journey along the surrogacy road for all of us. No matter how you got here. By Gemma & Denis Our first social gathering was in Leeds in the February just gone. We had had a bad time in the week before it arranging Denis's time off as he'd forgotten and then a lot of other things got in the way, but we did manage to make it!! We spent the whole trip there thinking something else was going to go wrong, or we'd arrive at the wrong place….we just didn't think it would have gone as it did!!! So we pulled up at the pub where the social gathering was taking place, I made sure I took my time getting Bethany out of the car as I was so nervous!! Part of me just wanted to go back home and forget about it!! Anyway, we saw a few people going in and wondered if they'd be part of the SUK gang. We made our way in, and Declan decided he needed the toilet (wahey more time for me to think about going home…..) We emerged from the toilets and decided to walk the length of the pub as I'd completely forgotten where I read people would be meeting, then I saw the SUK poster, and saw a nice, normal, friendly looking couple sorting tables and whatever!! The nice normal couple was to be Lizzie and Lee, the people hosting the social gathering, and we were the first to arrive. So we got a drink, sat down, and got chatting…. I honestly cant remember ever feeling so welcome with complete strangers before!! I was so relaxed I didn't mind leaving them with my little princess while I took Declan to the toilet again!! I felt right at home straight away, then others began to arrive and I wasn't at all embarrassed or shy to introduce myself or talk to people!! Later on in the day Sarah and Jim arrived and Jim was amazing, he fully explained everything to Denis and answered any doubts or questions he had. He talked to us as if he'd known us for years, and although some of our questions may have been a little strange, he fully understood what we meant and he didn't laugh!! For me, it was good to talk to people about why I wanted to be a surrogate, especially being so young, and having two young children a lot of friends and family didn't understand why I want to do this now- but no-one questioned me on anything, they understood what I wanted to do and fully supported me. I also met a lovely expectant Intended Mother, who now has a lovely bouncing baby boy, and it was nice to talk to her in all her excitement of his arrival!! She just proved to me that what I want to do is right for me!! All in all, we had a wonderful day, met lots of nice people, and myself and my darling husband left there in a positive frame of mind. Denis had been a little taken aback when I told him what I wanted to do, and if he'd got there and not felt comfortable, he probably would have said he didn't want me to do it, but on our way home we decided we can do this if we do it together, and take our time so we know we have everything right!! It was a massive step for us and I've been chomping at the bit to get to another social gathering, but something has always got in the way!! We will be attending the Summer conference and cant wait- I think Denis is getting as exited as me for it too!!!