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Welcome to December's Volunteer Network News
I’d like to say a big thank you to you all for your incredible efforts this year. Our volunteers are the heart and soul of the ROS. You’ve worked tirelessly on running support groups, helping advocate on behalf of people with osteoporosis, presenting to the public and a wide range of other achievements. We couldn’t do what we do without you. If you’d like me to come along and present at your local support group meeting, just ask, as I always get a lot from these sessions.
Merry Christmas and thank you!
Craig
Echoing Craig's comments, the VPE team would like to express our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of our volunteers for your support in 2022. As we continue to open up our volunteering activity following the pandemic, we look forward to exploring new ways of supporting you in your roles and working with you to develop our new volunteering roadmap – our planning document for volunteering activity and key events throughout 2023.
Thank you and Merry Christmas.
Helen, Susan, and Fiona, VPE team.
A big World Osteoporosis Day thank you!
This year’s World Osteoporosis Day (October 20) was our biggest and most exciting campaign yet, and we couldn’t have done it without your help. A huge thank you from all of us at Team ROS for all your efforts during the week. Whether you hosted or attended a celebratory WOD event or spread the word about our new online risk checker, you’ve raised vital awareness of bone health and encouraged people to take positive action for their bones. Thank you.
Highlights from the day:
- Several of our volunteers attended the first Fracture Liaison Service (FLS) conference in Wales, and filmed videos of their lived experiences of osteoporosis
- Guernsey hosted a meeting at their local hall and were joined online by an ROS Helpline nurse – the first of our support groups to try this combined in-person and online format
- Volunteers in Hampshire had a stand at David Lloyd gym to explain and demonstrate our risk checker
Highlights from the week
Support group events:
• Southampton and District held a ‘wear orange’ event
• West Surrey and South Buckinghamshire hosted their local rheumatology consultants for an update and Q&A
• Norfolk and Suffolk held an afternoon tea and were joined by ROS trustee, Dr Lynne Wigens
• Newtown learnt more about the Wales exercise referral scheme
• Winchester enjoyed a talk on nutrition
• Ashton, Leigh and Wigan met informally to share experiences
Community presenters:
Our community presenters held a lunch-and-learn session on bone health for staff in the UK Government business strategy department. They also attended Wigan Friendship group.
If your activity isn’t listed above, please get in touch. We’d love to hear how you celebrated WOD in your area.
Bone Matters topics and your 2023 group programmes
It’s great to see that most support groups have now planned their meeting programmes for 2023. If you are still working on yours locally, we thought it would be helpful to share the topics planned for the Bone Matters’ series for early 2023.
You may want to tailor your programme around the Bone Matters’ themed online sessions, inviting a local speaker or holding a peer support session as a follow up. For example, the Liverpool group had a specialist dietician from the Nutrition and Dietetics department of the Liverpool Royal University Hospital speak on diet following the Bone Matters’ Q&A session on nutrition in the summer. We encourage you to continue promoting the UK-wide online Bone Matters’ series to your digitally able attendees.
Bone Matters– topics confirmed for early 2023
• January – HRT
• February – Hip fracture recovery
• March – Genetics/family history
We’ll share the topics of future sessions as they’re confirmed.
To catch up with all the 2022 Bone Matters’ online sessions to date, please visit the Bone Matters' web page.
We encourage you to include your local group’s 2023 programme in your next newsletter as an A4 back page. This can be easily detached and kept as a handy reminder by your attendees. All support group meetings are also listed on our website’s support group page with links to book all online meetings.
Please note that we will not be printing programmes in the pre-pandemic style A5 booklets, but if you would like a copy of the A4 programme template, or have any other requests for promotional materials, please contact your VPE Manager.
Network Rail staff check their bone health
We were delighted to speak to Network Rail employees at their health awareness days across South-East England last month. Susan and Fiona were joined by volunteers and supporters from across the area to present on good bone health, demonstrate our new online risk checker, and answer questions.
Our volunteers and staff met employees from a range of departments at Network Rail over four days. Almost 100 people checked their bone health using the risk checker, giving them access to free tailored advice about their risk and practical tips on how to make positive changes for their bones.
Mirthy online events
Last year, some of you kindly provided feedback on this, testing a selection of Mirthy’s 100 classes and events, which include yoga, book clubs, and live music performances. Thank you if you got involved.
Based on the overwhelmingly positive feedback you shared, the ROS has partnered with Mirthy. They’re giving ROS members three months of free access to their online events to try this winter.
All volunteers should qualify for this offer. If you are unsure about your current ROS membership, please email our Membership and Supporter Team.
Visit the Mirthy website to claim your exclusive offer.
Launch of the APPG for Osteoporosis and Bone Health's inquiry
On Wednesday 30 November, several of our Lead Volunteer Advocates (LVAs), along with trustees and staff, joined Parliamentarians in Westminster to launch a report based on the findings of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Osteoporosis and Bone Health’s inquiry into primary care. You can find out more on the APPG web page.
The findings highlight major shortcomings in osteoporosis identification, treatment, and care. Experts and Parliamentarians are now calling for a targeted national screening programme for osteoporosis to give fracture prevention the priority it needs.
Other recommendations include: establishing a new National Specialty Advisor for fracture prevention and osteoporosis within the NHS, broadening the range of professionals who manage patients at high risk of fracture, and defining osteoporosis as a long-term condition across all Government health guidance.
The patient voice has played a big part in the inquiry and the report. Two LVAs and one Community Advocate Network (CAN) member have given evidence, (sharing their lived experience of osteoporosis and services), at parliamentary meetings this year.
Other ROS volunteers have shared their lived experiences, and were also featured in the report, including the chair of the Hambleton and Richmond Support Group and a member of our Members & Volunteers (M&V) Committee.
A massive thank you from the VPE team to everyone involved. You have helped influence future care for people living with osteoporosis, changing lives.
Read the news story featuring the full APPG report or find out more about the APPG Inquiry.
Bone Matters: Financial help after fractures
Coming up on 15 December is a Bone Matters’ Q&A video on financial help after fractures with the charity Turn2us. We’ll be answering common questions about the financial help you may be entitled to receive, covering both state and means-tested benefits. In the video, there will also be a demonstration of the free online Turn2us Benefits Calculator.
You can access the video on the Bone Matters' web page from Thursday 15 December.
Thank you for reading VNN.
If you’ve got a story to share or would like to see something featured, please get in touch.
