I work for the Primary Care Centre at Keele University as the Patient and Public Involvement Coordinator. I was an accountant by background but developed fibromyalgia, a musculoskeletal condition which forced me to have a year off work. I joined Keele as a user support worker as I had an interest in research, as my grandson has severe learning disabilities. We have a group of 30 patients involved in 40 different projects - qualitative, quantitative and clinical trials - so it is like acting as a bridge between two different worlds, researchers and patients. Yet I feel it is really important to future research that the two work together.