One of the main purposes of the charity is to support people who have Alopecia Areata. We arrange meetings to give people the chance to meet up so that they might get some comfort from knowing that they are not alone and to find out how other people cope with the condition.

Edinburgh meetings
Our first meeting in May 1999 was held at the Dermatology Department in the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh where Olivia Schofield, our medical advisor, is based. It was a "get to know us"session. We asked people for their suggestions about topics for future meetings and Olivia gave a presentation on the condition.

We continue to have meetings in the Spring and Autumn in Edinbugh. We now usually hold them in the Quaker Meeting House, 7 Victoria Terrace, Edinburgh as this is a discreet, central location.

Glasgow meetings
In April 2000 we branched out into Glasgow. We had an initial meeting in a Glasgow hotel to find out if there was a demand for Glasgow based meetings. A small number turned up, said yes and so we had two subsequent meetings at a GP's surgery in the west end of Glasgow.In June 2001 we joined up with a group who attended for treatment at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary and met in the Boardroom there. We hold at least two meetings a year there, usually in the Spring and Autumn.

The format of meetings
We usually have a speaker at each of our meetings as this is what people have requested. It gives a focus to the evening. There have been a range of contibutions over the years. We've had input from consultants on the condition and had practical demonstrations from the main wig suppliers, Turvey's Studios and A&A Studios, who have shown the new styles of wigs and other aids. We've had a trichologist, a beautician and an expert on the tattooing of eyebrows.
As its our aim to help people find a way to help them cope in their own, individual way with the condition we've hosted sessions on aromatherapy, homeopathy and reflexology. We've also had talks from people who have alopecia areata about how they have coped and from psychologists about coping strategies.

Joint events
We've held two large, joint events to bring as many people together as possible, first in May 2002 in Glasgow and then in May 2004 at the City Chambers in Edinburgh. ). Over 80 people attended. They listened to the speakers, looked round the stands, had lunch and took part in a bit of fun at the tombola stall. One of our speakers was Dr Messenger from Sheffield-Hallam University, (who is known as "Dr Hair" in medical circles because of his expertise).

Scottish Parliament Briefing Session
In April 2005, alopecia areata was the focus of one of the briefing sessions hosted by Helen Eadie, MSP, on behalf of the Skin Care Campaign Scotland group. 60 people from our group attended and completely filled the committee room to hear the briefing for MSPs on the condition, its treatment, its affect on people's lives and the inequality of service given to people suffering from alopecia areata.

Newsletter
The dates of our meetings are published in our newsletter which is distributed to everyone on our database at least twice a year.
We aim to continue having at least two meetings a year in Edinburgh and Glasgow and we are also in the process of setting up meetings in Dundee. We will have a speaker for each meeting as people have requested this. However the people who attend say that the real benefit is in meeting up with others who either have Alopecia Areata or have a child or partner who has it. Everyone is welcome to bring a friend(s) or family member(s). Tea or coffee and biscuits are provided and there is no charge for the meetings.