Maria Aitken

Maria Aitken became our first Patron in 1992. Maria is a well known actor, director, and author. She is especially known for role in A Fish Called Wanda. Most recently she has been involved in directing The Thirty Nine Steps. Maria now divides her time between London and New York. BTF thanks Ms Aitken for her long-term support.

Clare Balding, OBE

Clare Balding, TV presenter and sports journalist, became a Patron of the BTF in August 2010. Clare was treated for thyroid cancer last year and kindly endorsed the new edition of our thyroid cancer booklet. Clare says: ‘I would be very honoured to accept your invitation and would like to thank the Trustees for thinking of me. I am sure you are aware that my work is rather all-encompassing but I shall do what I can to help raise awareness of thyroid disorders and in doing so, to help those who are suffering.’

www.clarebalding.co.uk

Jenny Pitman, OBE

Jenny Pitman has been a Patron of BTF since 1998.  As a national hunt racehorse trainer Mrs Pitman has held a Trainer’s Licence since 1975 and was one of the first women to obtain a Trainer’s Licence under Jockey Club Rules. She has won the Grand National and Cheltenham Gold Cup twice as well as the Irish, Scottish and Welsh Nationals and many other major National Hunt races. Mrs Pitman was awarded the OBE in the 1998 New Years Honours list for services to racing. Her autobiography Jenny Pitman was published in November 1998. Mrs Pitman had personal experience of thyroid cancer in 1998, but is now in good health. We are extremely grateful for her support. Mrs Pitman provided the foreword to the first edition of the BTF booklet 'Thyroid Cancer: For Patients, By Patients' in 2006, in which she wrote: 'When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer I didn’t know which way to turn and quite honestly some of the literature I read was quite frightening and overly dramatic, which only added to my fears. Having read the information in the booklet I am very happy to recommend it and I am sure it will help you to understand the disease and your treatment'.

Melissa Porter, BSc Hons

Melissa Porter, popular TV presenter, has been a Patron of the BTF since 2005. She has appeared on the television programmes Buy Or Not To Buy, Escape To The Country, Put Your Money Where Your House Is, as well as the hugely successful lifestyle programme Get A New Life. Ms Porter has hypothyroidism and says, “I am delighted to have been asked to become a BTF patron and plan to spread the news of the fabulous work that this charity does to anyone who will listen.”

Claire Rayner, OBE

Claire Rayner has been a Patron of BTF since 1994. She is a well-known journalist, novelist and national broadcaster (radio and TV). As a trained nurse and midwife she is an acknowledged authority on child care, medical and allied subjects, and is author of over 90 books on a broad range of medical subjects as well as popular fiction. Ms Rayner has broadcast several of her own radio and TV series as well as contributing to many other programmes. As a journalist she has regularly contributed to national newspapers, women’s and general magazines and medical journals. Her other commitments have included, among others, associate non-executive director of the Royal London Group of Hospitals and of Northwick Park and St Mark’s Hospital NHS Trust, Royal College of Nursing Committee on Ethics, Royal Commission on the Funding of Care of the Elderly, and Patron and advisor to a larger number of medical and social welfare organisations. Ms Rayner says, 'I[Over] fifty years ago I became ill with acute thyrotoxicosis - Graves’ Disease …..suffice it to say that I eventually was treated successfully with a thyroidectomy which, undoubtedly, saved my twenty-year old life. With that history, how could I not accept an invitation to become a Patron of the British Thyroid Foundation? If they can help other young people – or indeed people of any age! – to cope with this unpleasant condition – and it’s just as unpleasant if you have a shortage of thyroid hormone rather than an excess as I did – then I want to do what little I can to help. I hope other people will see them as well worthy of support as I do'.

Gay Search

Gay Search has been a Patron of BTF since 2003. She is a writer and broadcaster who has become one of the country’s best-known gardening presenters, and is known for her very successful Front Gardens series. Ms Search has authored a number of best-selling gardening books, such as Geoff Hamilton: A Man and his Garden, and was gardening editor of Sainsbury’s The Magazine. In 2002, Gay had a thyroidectomy and takes thyroxine daily.  Ms Search is delighted to be a patron of BTF: 'I was delighted to accept since I am a great believer in self-help groups - I think they can offer support, information and reassurance in a way that most professionals, however well-meaning, can't do in quite the same way. I certainly found the British Thyroid Foundation invaluable while I was making up my mind about a thyroidectomy. I no longer have my goitre - it was removed along with my thyroid at the end of September 2002 - but I hope the fact that I am now on daily thyroxine means I am still qualified to be a patron!'

Dr W Michael Tunbridge, MA, MD, FRCP

Dr Tunbridge has been a BTF Patron since 2007. Dr Tunbridge trained at Cambridge and University College Hospital, London and qualified in medicine in 1964. After obtaining his MRCP, Dr Tunbridge found his interest in Diabetes and Endocrinology moving to the Royal Postgraduate Medical School at Hammersmith Hospital. This is where he developed his special interest in thyroid disease that led to a research fellowship becoming the well-known Whickham Survey and other significant research studies and opportunities. Dr Tunbridge completed his prestigious medical career at Director of Postgraduate Medical Education in the University of Oxford and Postgraduate Dean in the Oxford region. He retired from his post in 2003 and from clinical practice in 2005 but retains his interest in medicine and thyroid disease in particular.  In 1991 Dr Tunbridge organised a meeting to mark the centenary of the publication of Murray's discovery of thyroxine and donated the proceeds (£1000) to the newly formed British Thyroid Foundation and became one of the first trustees. Dr Tunbridge is 'honoured to accept the invitation to succeed Sir Richard Bayliss as Patron of the British Thyroid Foundation'.