The Society is now in its second decade and continues to provide a national network for nurses and allied professionals working in vascular care.

The Society's primary role is to allow nurses to access information, education and resources to enable them to develop professionally and thus enhance patient care. The Society also aims to raise the public profile of peripheral vascular disease and seeks to facilitate debate on all issues relating to the prevention and management of the disease. Originally established to support nurses in a relatively new and small field of specialist nursing, the Society is now a respected organisation with close links to the Vascular Society, British Vascular Foundation, Venous Forum and other groups aiming to improve vascular care across Great Britain. This year our membership totals over 250, with the whole of the British Isles represented.

We are also delighted to have members from as far afield as the USA, Canada, South Africa and Australia. The SVN produces a quarterly newsletter available to members - through this, and the website, we endeavour to keep vascular nurses in touch with each other and essential resources.

The society supports vascular nurses in a number of ways, including the provision of bursaries, four of which are awarded annually to support individual or ward ventures. The regional group networks provide a forum for nurses to share experiences beyond their own workplace and to provide mutual support for each other. Many groups run local study days to enable members to meet and share research and practice developments. The Nurse Specialist Liaison service allows contact with other nurse specialists around the country.

The focal point of the SVN calendar is the annual conference held in conjunction with the Vascular Society each November. This is an important event which has doubled its delegate numbers over the last three years. The James Purdie Award, donated by the British Vascular Foundation, has enabled nurses undertaking research and audit to present their work and be formally recognised for their innovation and contribution to vascular care. Inevitably, the social aspect of this event has become almost as important as the formal learning component.

We do hope you use either this website or the quarterly newsletter to communicate with other members about the challenges of vascular nursing and to share information to help enhance vascular nursing throughout the UK. Through the members' page you can access advice from other members about any aspect of your vascular practice. Contributions for the newsletter are also always appreciated, whether full articles or short 'fillers'.susan.ward@bsuh.nhs.uk

We would also encourage you to take an active part in the organisation of the Society, whether at regional or national level,and volunteers are always appreciated.

Best wishes

Sue Ward, President, December 2007