Tell me about: Meeting Her Majesty The Queen Consort

On 25 January this year, long-standing supporter of the ROS, Her Majesty The Queen Consort joined staff and volunteers to officially mark the opening of the Royal Osteoporosis Society’s (ROS) new city centre offices. 

Her Majesty has a long-standing relationship with the ROS following her late mother’s and late grandmother’s devastating experiences of osteoporosis. Since 1994, The Queen Consort has been one of the most effective and high-profile communicators globally in highlighting a condition which has been characterised by passivity and low awareness. 

During the opening celebration, Her Majesty attended the new offices in central Bath to meet a small number of volunteers and charity staff, including the nurse Helpline team. She then travelled to the Guildhall in Bath where she met with local business leaders and charities, councillors, and healthcare providers from across the NHS to hear more about the work of the ROS.  

We speak with ROS volunteers Rehana and Jasbir to find out more about their role at the ROS, and their experience at the office opening event. 

Jasbir is a Registered General Nurse and Health Educator and has been a member of the Community Advocate Network (CAN) since August 2022 

How did you find the office opening event? 

I am so delighted and honoured to have been able to see Her Majesty Queen Consort in person. Her Majesty is so warm and took a keen interest in each of the volunteers work. I feel privileged to be part of the ROS team and being there made me really proud of the work that we do and I felt really embedded in the organisation. It was lovely to meet the ROS team at the office as well as the nurses and other volunteers. It was a very productive and rewarding day. 

What does your role as a CAN member involve? 

The Community Advocate Network (CAN) is a group of volunteers who have their own experiences of living with osteoporosis (or as a family member, friend, or carer of someone with the condition) and are willing to share their experiences to help promote our work. As a CAN member, you may be invited to take part in research projects, media and public affairs work and local initiatives. You can choose which projects you would like to take part in. 

My role as part of the CAN involves raising awareness of osteoporosis and the work of the ROS within the community. I chose to do this amongst the Sikh community as I’m a Sikh myself. I was keen to spread the message of ROS, emphasize the importance of bone health, exercise, and nutrition in earlier life, to prevent osteoporosis in later life. I am passionate about empowering and educating others to be aware of the condition and their risks. Raising awareness amongst the Sikh community is only the tip of the iceberg. 

What do you enjoy about the role? 

Having osteoporosis myself, I am determined to share some of the things I’ve learnt with family, friends and the community so that they can enjoy better bone health. I really enjoy meeting people and explaining to them what osteoporosis is and how they can look after themselves once they have the knowledge. Surprisingly not many people know about the condition, unlike heart disease, cancer and diabetes which are advertised in the media or are common knowledge. Very few are aware of it because someone in their family has experienced the condition, but the majority I’ve met are completely unaware. The osteoporosis risk checker is a good starting point and I have shared this with the community. I enjoy making a difference to people’s lives and support ROS’s work.  

Rehana is a retired ophthalmic nurse educator and has been a member of the Community Advocate Network (CAN) since March 2022 

What inspired you to start volunteering with the ROS? 

I had quite a poor experience with my osteoporosis diagnosis. I went through months of fracture related pain and was constantly dismissed and told that I’d just pulled a muscle. It was only through persistently asking for an x-ray that I was eventually diagnosed with osteoporosis and told that I’d broken bones because of it, which was causing my pain, but I still wasn’t given much support. 

I looked at the ROS website, and the information pages on broken bones completely spoke to me. I finally felt like someone understood what I was going through. This empowered me to bring this into the community myself so that other people were aware of the condition. 

What’s a highlight of your role been so far? 

In January this year, I helped organise an event at the Birmingham Mosque to raise awareness of osteoporosis within the Muslim community. I worked really hard alongside staff at the ROS to get this planned over the course of a whole year. We had 49 people in total attend and the best part about this was that we had males and females attending, which doesn’t always happen in Muslim communities. From the attention that was given to the speakers and the queue of people lined up to speak to the specialist medical expert that attended, I can safely say that everyone was really interested in the awareness programme and that this event will have a big impact. 

What did you enjoy about the office opening event? 

The experience of coming to the ROS and meeting The Queen Consort Camilla was exciting. I never dreamt that one day I would be given this opportunity. It was an enjoyable experience not only to meet the Queen but also to meet staff and other volunteers. I felt so supported throughout the whole experience. 

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about volunteering? 

I think it’s interest, passion and hard work that makes volunteers successful. You have to be interested in what you’re talking about and willing to put some of your free time into it, and that will be met with so much amazing support from the ROS. 

Our volunteers help the nation to enjoy better bone health and support people to live well with osteoporosis. From hosting public information events and running support groups, to sharing their experiences and raising funds, our amazing volunteers are involved in so many ways. If you’re interested in becoming a volunteer, visit our volunteer with us page.