I must say we had a very similar experience in front of a panel last Friday, not nearly as scary and intimidating as we feared they might be. Quite what conclusion they reached we couldn't tell and we are waiting for the envelope to drop through the letterbox!
Thank you too to all those have have contributed to this forum, it has been so useful to hear the experiences of others and we certainly felt well prepared and were able to put across our case in the best way.
Good news for us as we have learnt today that our appeal has been successful. We do feel for those who haven't received the result they were hoping for and wish those who haven't yet heard the best of luck.
Thanks again to all those have contributed to this invaluable forum.