If you are interested in helping to set up a BTF local support group in
York, please give me a call.
You can leave a message on the answer machine if I am not there to speak
to you. Jane: 01904 634541
Would you be interested in becoming part of a local support group in Dumfries
and Galloway? We have a volunteer waiting to support anyone
in the area who feels they are interested in taking on the role of local
co-ordinator there. If you are interested please contact Betty Nevens at
BTF head office who will be able to provide further details: 01423
709707 / 709448 or email:
b.m.nevens@btf-thyroid.org
BTF CHRISTMAS CARDS
Thank you for supporting us by buying our Christmas cards. We will provide
you with a choice for 2008 in early September. You will be able to see the
choice then by clicking here.
(08/02/08)
CANCER REFORM STRATEGY - CANCER52
For the past year, BTF has been involved in Cancer52 - a coalition of charities
concerned with the needs of people with less common and rare cancers (thyroid
cancer being in this category). The name Cancer52 highlights the fact that
52% of cancer mortality in the UK is represented by the less common cancers.
In May, BTF, represented by Director - Janis Hickey, and Chair of the BTF
Cancer Group - Carole Ingham, joined with other members of Cancer52 in a
meeting with Professor Mike Richards, National Cancer Director who is currently
developing a Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) to set out how the provision of
cancer care should develop over the next five to ten years.The meeting with
Mike Richards provided a good opportunity to raise the needs of people with
rarer cancers.
Later in the month, again as part of of the Cancer Refortm Strategy, BTF
was invited to attend a workshop on head and neck cancers, to discuss improvements
to head and neck cancer services.(17/07/07)
RADIOIODINE IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BENIGN THYROID DISEASE - PUBLISHED
BY THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS (RCP)
These new guidelines update those first published by the RCP in 1995. They
include developments over the past 10 years in legislation relating to radioiodine
treatment, as well as advances in understanding. As well as for specialists
directly involved in the management of patients with hyperthyroidsim or
goitre, the guidelines will be of interest to general physicians and general
practitioners who are frequently involved with the follow-up for patients
with this prevalent condition. More information is available here.
(17/07/07).
NHS WEBSITE - "EQUIP"
"EQUIP" contains links to quality-checked UK health and social
care information, as well as local information for the West Midlands region:
NATURAL DESICCATED THYROID EXTRACT (Armour) - an update from the British
Thyroid Association Executive Committee, March 2007
From time to time we receive queries about the use of natural desiccated
thyroid extract as an alternative to synthetic thyroxine in the treatment
of hypothyroidism.You can download the pdf file about the two treatments
here (18/04/07)
HYPOTHYROIDISM - CLINICAL FEATURES AND TREATMENT
Click here for an informative word
document about hypothyroidism: the causes, signs and symptoms, and treatment.
(18/04/07)
SUPPORT TO HELP YOU STOP SMOKING
There is lots of fantastic expert support available that can help you
stop smoking - it is particularly important for people with thyroid eye
disease to quit. See your GP or practice nurse and find out what help i
s available in your local area. Or you can call the NHS England and Wales
smoking helpline on n0800 169 0169. In Scotland you can contact Smokeline
on 0800848484 for free confidential advice and support.
Help is also available through QUIT, the independent charity whose aim is
to save lives by helping smokers to stop. You can call them on 0800 002
200. Useful information is available on the following websites:
This is the eleventh year that the British Thyroid Foundation, thanks
to the generosity of members and other donors, has been able to invite health
professionals to apply for funding. Two one-year awards of up to £10,000
each are being offered to enable medical researchers to supplement existing
projects or for pump priming existing research ideas. Applications are invited
for basic science or clinical projects. BTF will be seeking to fund one
basic science and one clinical project, or two clinical projects each year.
Funds will be awarded for consumables, running costs and necessary items
of equipment. Research must be directly related to the thyroid or thyroid
disorders. The successful project must be specifically directed to the study
of thyroid disorders or an investigation into the basic understanding of
thyroid function. Please click
here to download an application form. (19/03/07)
As the result of a bequest, BTF is able to offer a further award of £2000
to supplement existing research into medullary thyroid cancer, preferably
a study which will improve the chances of early detection of the disease.
Please click here
to download an application form. (25/02/07)
You can also read the final reports of previous
award-holders. (19/03/06)
THE EVELYN ASHLEY SMITH AWARD FOR A NURSE WITH A SPECIAL
INTEREST IN THYROID DISORDERS 2008
An award of £500, made possible by the late Evelyn Ashley Smith,
for many years a member of the British Thyroid Foundation, is being offered
by the BTF to enable a nurse with a specialist interest in thyroid disorders
to provide improved care to patients with thyroid disorders. Applications
are invited from nurses and endocrine nurses within Great Britain and Eire.
The award will be offered to (a) support training needs including conference
attendance, (b) support a specific project lasting one year, or (c) reward
a piece of work already completed, but not yet published. Applicants must
demonstrate that the activity supported by the award is aimed at enhancing
care of patients with thyroid disorders. Application forms are available
from: The British Thyroid Foundation, Endocrine Nurse Award, PO Box 97,
Clifford, Wetherby. West Yorkshire. LS23 6XD. Closing date for receipt of
applications is 1st July 2008. Please click
here to download an application form.
THE EVELYN ASHLEY SMITH AWARD FOR A NURSE WITH A SPECIAL
INTEREST IN THYROID DISORDERS 2007
We are delighted to announce that the recipient of the BTF Evelyn Ashley
Smith Nurse Award for 2007 is Margaret Morris, Endocrine Specialist Nurse
from The Freeman Hospital, Newcastle upon Tyne, for her study entitled 'Alfacalcidol
and calcium supplement reduction in post-thyroidectomy patients'. We send
her our congratulations and wish her every success with this very worthwhile
study. We look forward to hearing the results in due course. Further information
about the study is available here.
(18/09/07)
BTF RESEARCH AWARD 2006
We are pleased to announce the winner of the BTF research award for 2006:
Dr Salman Razvi from the Department of Endocrinology, University of Newcastle
upon Tyne, and his co-applicants, Dr Jola Weaver, and Dr Simon Pearce, both
Senior Lecturers in Endocrinology at Newcastle, receive this year's award
for a research study entitled "Thirty year follow-up study of the Whickham
cohort (pilot study)". Further information about this research is available
here. (12/11/06)
THE EVELYN ASHLEY SMITH ENDOCRINE NURSE AWARD 2006
The recipient of this year's award is Stephanie Estcourt, Senior Research
Nurse at the Peninsula Medical School, Exeter for her project entitled:
"The impact of thyroid eye disease upon patients' well-being: a qualitative
study". Further information about the study is available here.
(23/02/07)
SOME MORE OF OUR FANTASTIC FUNDRAISERS
BTF members Elizabeth Barber and Kimberley Romaine ran their second London
Marathon on behalf of BTF, raising just under £1000 and £400
respectively.
Keith Munn completed a gruelling four-day trek in Peru, raising almost £4000.
Patience Peplinski, recently treated for thyroid cancer, persuaded her family
(including her young son), friends and consultant to join her in running the
Chester half-marathon, and together raised over £2000.
If you are taking part in a running event to raise funds for BTF, we will
be able to supply you with a BTF running vest, as well as with BTF teeshirts
for your supporters. Please contact head office for further details. You
can make a secure donation to any of BTF's fund-raisers through theJustgiving
website - see below. (17/0707)
FUNDRAISING AND DONATIONS
We have teamed up with the Justgiving Service to enable you to make secure
donations to the British Thyroid Foundation
online. All you have to do is click here
if you would like to make a donation towards our work.You can make one-off
payment, or even monthly credit or debit card donations. It's secure and
very easy to use. Thank you - we're very grateful for all donations.
If you wish to raise funds for the British Thyroid Foundation, you can
create a personal fundraising page
for any event or occasion. It's very quick and simple to create, and it
saves you from having to collect the amounts pledged by friends and family.
It's secure and easy for your supporters to make payments by both credit
and debit card. All you have to do is click here
to create your personal page. We'd be delighted to hear from you if you've
set up a page. Please do phone the office manager (01423 709707), too, if
you have any questions. (10/05/06)
GIVING OVERPAID TAX TO CHARITY
There is a facility on the self-assessment tax return forms to pass on
some, or all of any overpaid tax direct to your favourite charity. The BTF's
unique code for this scheme is DAE20SG. If you wish to nominate the BTF
we would be most appreciative; the Inland Revenue will automatically enhance
your donation with the Gift Aid relief. (25/02/06)
MEMBERS' QUOTES WANTED
We are in the process of producing new booklets by patients, for patients,
about thyroid disorders and would very much like to include brief quotes
from our members which sum up their feelings about thyroid disorders - both
positive and negative. Please email
b.m.nevens@btf-thyroid.org with your quote, marking your subject header:
BTF BOOKLET QUOTE, or write to us at head office, quoting the same header.
THYROID DISEASE AND WATER FLUORIDATION
The British Fluoridation Society has provided a statement regarding the
absence of a link between thyroid disease and water fluoridation. Click
here
for further details (21/02/06)
Important Information
May we remind members that any correspondence that originates from the
BTF will be on our official letterheads either from ourselves at Head Office
or from our official local coordinators, whose names appear in the BTF News
and our website, or will be included as an enclosure with the BTF News.
We would also like to reiterate that we treat membership details in the
strictest confidence and do not give out personal information about our
membership to a third party unless prior permission has been sought with
the individual members. (02/09/05)
Want to get involved?
The opinion and experience of our members is important and has been of
considerable value over the years. With this in mind we would like to invite
members to contact us to let us know if they would be willing to assist
from time to time in various matters such as reviewing literature, providing
feedback on medical information for patients, being interviewed for newspaper/magazine
articles on personal experiences of thyroid disorders. If you are a member
and are interested in helping in the way outlined, then please write in
for further information and a registration form, marking your envelope "Members'
Panel", to: BTF, PO Box 97, Clifford, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23
6XD. (07/07/05)
BRITISH THYROID FOUNDATION PIN BADGES
We
have had this little classy pin badge specially made. It measures just under
1 cm x 1 cm, is made of brushed steel, and depicts the thyroid gland in the
same way as the "H" in our logo. It can be pinned to the lapel,
or equally can be used as a tie-pin. The suggested minimum donation is £1,
and all profits will help support the British Thyroid Foundation's work. To
obtain your badge, please send your name, address and donation (made payable
to "The British Thyroid Foundation") to the British Thyroid Foundation,
PO Box 97, Clifford, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 6XD. No envelope is required,
but you may wish to donate a 2nd class stamp. Please allow 14 days for delivery.
(13/06/04)
THE BRITISH THYROID FOUNDATION CANCER GROUP
The BTF Cancer Group, established in 2004, is keen to work with other thyroid
cancer support groups, and will be doing so with the organisations listed
below. Click on their names to read more about them and for their contact
details.
AMEND supports those with Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia
(MEN) types 1 and 2, and medullary thyroid cancer which can develop from
MEN 2. AMEND will be holding a meeting on the subject of medullary thyroid
cancer at their AGM on Saturday 14th May at the Paterson Ross Lecture Theatre
in St Bartholomew's Hospital, London. The speaker will be Mr Barney Harrison,
Consultant Surgeon of the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS. If you are interested
in attending please contact Jo on 01892 525308 as numbers will be limited.
Butterflynortheast
This group offers information, support and encouragement to people affected
by thyroid cancer having treatment at the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment.
We
have had this little classy pin badge specially made. It measures just under
1 cm x 1 cm, is made of brushed steel, and depicts the thyroid gland in the
same way as the "H" in our logo. It can be pinned to the lapel,
or equally can be used as a tie-pin. The suggested minimum donation is £1,
and all profits will help support the British Thyroid Foundation's work. To
obtain your badge, please send your name, address and donation (made payable
to "The British Thyroid Foundation") to the British Thyroid Foundation,
PO Box 97, Clifford, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 6XD. No envelope is required,
but you may wish to donate a 2nd class stamp. Please allow 14 days for delivery.
(13/06/04)