Volunteer Activity

As January draws to a close, and the snow has finally gone we can now look forward to the spring and lighter evenings. I hope you have not found this cold spell too difficult. I for one am pleased when you can wake up without total darkness.

The Volunteer Network continue to be busy and we are currently cleansing our database so that we have a greater understanding of what activities our volunteers wish to partake in. This will enable us to match requests for volunteers more effectively and ensure we are using our volunteers for activities they would like to be involved in. This Monday coming for example, we have three of our volunteers lobbying outside Westminster for the government to keep its promise of free prescriptions for those with long term conditions – a promise made back in September 2008 by Mr Brown! They will be wearing their NRAS t-shirts and joining other charities who also feel strongly about this matter.

We are really excited about our new RA Self Management Programme. Ailsa has worked very hard to ensure we can deliver an RA specific course in conjunction with rheumaotology units around the UK that assists you in managing your disease more effectively. Ailsa began discussions with the Expert Patient Programme Community Interest Company (EPPCIC) back in 2007, an organisation who have been involved in delivering chronic disease programmes for quite some time. We felt with their expertise in delivering long term conditions self management programmes, coupled with our expertise in R.A., this joint collaboration will work well. At the moment I have been heavily involved in establishing pilot courses of the RA Self Management programme, which will be commencing in March in Woking, Stoke on Trent and West Middlesex. If you would like to attend one of these sessions please let me know as spaces will fill up fast. If you are not local to here, then we will be in touch once the course is fully commissioned and PCT`s roll it out in your area.

I look forward to working with you to make 2010 another brilliant year for NRAS.

Paul Keats
NRAS Volunteer Network Project Co-ordinator