Arthritis Care is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis (registered charity nos: 206563, SC038693). It is a user led organisation which means people with arthritis are at the heart of its work – they form its membership, are involved in its activities and are well represented on its staff and board of trustees. It provides information and support on a range of issues related to living with arthritis. Arthritis Care campaigns locally and nationally to make sure people with arthritis have access to treatments and services. In the UK Arthritis currently affects almost three in ten men and women over the age of 55.[1]
Arthritis Care has three national offices (Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales) and three regional offices in England (North England, Central England, South England). All activities are co-ordinated by an office in London.
Arthritis Care's current chief execuive is Neil Betteridge.
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Arthur Mainwaring Bowen - Founder
Arthur Mainwaring Bowen founded the British Rheumatic Association (BRA) in 1947 at the age of 25. It would later be renamed Arthritis Care in 1980. Bowen’s awareness of the needs of people with arthritis began when, at the age of 19, he was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (inflammatory arthritis primarily affecting the spine). Meeting other young people with arthritis, during long stays in hospital, opened Bowen’s eyes to the isolation they often felt. As well as his charity work, Bowen had a successful career as a qualified solicitor and a happy home life. He was married to Helen Patricia in 1953 with whom he had one son and one daughter. Bowen died at home in 1980, but left behind an organisation that was going from strength to strength. [2]
Jane Asher – President
Jane Asher became president of Arthritis Care in 2003. She has generously given her time to represent the organisation at a number of events and regularly chairs the annual general meeting. Jane is committed to playing an active role in the charity and enjoys having the opportunity to meet people with arthritis and discuss the issues that affect them. In addition to her position with Arthritis Care, Jane is a well known actress, best-selling novelist, businesswoman, and patron and president of a number of other UK charities. In 2001 she received an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from the University of Bristol. [1]
Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster – Patron
Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster has dedicated much of his time to the support of charities and other organisations and has been actively involved with Arthritis Care for over twenty years. In addition to his charitable work, the duke is best known for his success in business. He was ranked third in the Sunday Times Rich List 2008, and is reported to have a fortune worth £7,000 m. This is mainly due to his ownership of large amounts of property, including land in Mayfair and Belgravia in Central London. [2]
Arthritis Care, or the British Rheumatic Association (BRA) as it was then known, was founded by Arthur Mainwaring Bowen on 1 February 1947. That October the association had 554 prospective members.
By the time of Bowen’s death on 31 January 1980 Arthritis Care had grown in to a strong national organisation with a wide range of services for people with arthritis.In that year Arthritis News was published for the first time. It ran to 12 pages and had an initial print-run of 35,000.
Today, Arthritis Care is the UK's largest charity dedicated to supporting people with arthritis. It offers information and support to all people with arthritis through its helpline, website, self-management and personal development programmes and campaigns locally and nationally to make sure people with arthritis have access to treatments and services. [3] [4]