How Your Money Helps
Your help WILL make a difference and ensure that we can continue to support people who live with Rheumatoid Arthritis and help them to lead as full a life as possible.
- £20 pays for a complex helpline call/email, research and tailored follow up
- £50 funds the production of an information toolkit for a volunteer
- £120 funds a resource pack for health professionals to provide patient support
- £500 funds the setting up of an NRAS group in the UK
- £880 pays for an average month's mailing of requested information leaflets
- £2,000 pays to run an information day
'When things are bad friends often ask me what they can do to help, my answer is simple... support NRAS so that they will always be there to help me when I need them.' Alice, 35, who was diagnosed with RA in her late teen.
How your money helped people with RA in 2009...
The Helpline
We received a total of 2,946 calls to the helpline and 555 emails. This is a 20% increase on the previous year. In June 2009, we took
on a new member of staff to help with the increased demand for helpline services. The Helpline is a vital part of the work we do and for many who feel isolated and lonely can be a lifeline at a time of great anxiety.
The Volunteer Network
6 new NRAS Groups were formed in 2009, making a total of 25 now. NRAS groups offer support, information, encourage self management and a chance to meet socially with others who have the disease. They are also an excellent way of raising awareness of RA and getting local rheumatology departments involved.
Membership
We reached 3000 members in 2009, who all receive 3 magazines a year and have access to the online forum. Members can also be involved in research, surveys and focus groups - many members were involved in the design and testing of our new website.
Website
Our new website went live in December 2009 and is much easier to navigate, more user friendly, and has a lot more visual appeal. Improvements include being able to log in to the members’ forum from the home page, a regularly updated page of news and events and an NRAS blog.
Publications
In 2009 we produced 3 new information booklets. In the year to December, we sent out 85,292 pieces of information to individuals and health professionals, averaging 7,107 pieces per month. 60% of contacts to our helpline result in information being sent and on average 3 information booklets/leaflets are sent to each person.