Alan Hiron, Maureen Hiron's husband, died in Málaga from Guillain–Barré syndrome. Alan Hiron was a bridge correspondent for The Independent and a gold medalist in the World Championship Senior Pairs (1990). His death marked a significant personal loss for Maureen and led her to take over his bridge columns in The Independent and Irish Independent.

Continuo, a game developed by Maureen Hiron, was launched. This event is significant because Continuo became Britain's best-selling game, selling approximately 205,000 sets in the UK by the end of the year. This launch marked the beginning of Hiron Games Ltd.'s success in the board game industry.