It’s now day four of Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week and centre stage is being given to the NRAS membership team who are responsible for taking care of our 4,220 members.

Members are a fundamental part of the charity. The more members we have, the greater authority we have when we speak. Equally the more members we have, the more we know we are doing the right thing to support those living with rheumatoid arthritis. There are many benefits to membership and these include a regular magazine and newsletters; the chance to participate in surveys, research projects, political campaigning; and the opportunity to be part of the Volunteer network receive the training that comes with that.

All this costs as little as £20 per year if you pay by direct debit (otherwise it is £25), but as it is Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week we are feeling generous so have reduced this to £10. If you are not a member, why not sign up today by phoning 0845 4583969.

During Rheumatoid Arthritis Awareness Week we are asking our members to do four things in return, all simple tasks:

1. Donate your NRAS magazine to your GP surgery, hospital waiting area or dental practice. Every member receives a copy of the NRAS magazine delivered to their door three times a year so once you’ve finished and read it from cover to cover several times over, why not give someone else the opportunity to do likewise. You never know, someone may learn a bit more about rheumatoid arthritis because of it.

2. Tell us your story. We are always on the lookout for stories, either to put in our own magazine or to help out journalists with their stories so email your experience of living with rheumatoid arthritis to membership@nras.org.uk.

3. Pledge to sign up the healthcare professionals in your multidisciplinary team to free NRAS membership. HCPs all get free membership so the next time you visit your GP, rheumatologist, physio, or anyone else in the multidisciplinary team, take along a membership form for them to complete.

4. Nominate your Healthcare Professional Member(s) for the Healthcare Champions Award. Every two years we give our members the opportunity to vote for the individual or team who has made the biggest difference to their life and their battle against rheumatoid arthritis. Successful nominees, and those Members who voted for them, will be invited to a high-profile awards ceremony in November. Voting will commence shortly so do keep an eye out on our website and in future e-newsletters for more information.

That’s not much at all so please do what you can and together we can help raise the profile of rheumatoid arthritis and help make a better life for those with the disease and those not yet diagnosed.

Congratulations to the Blackpool Group
A few months ago we launched a membership special offer to try and encourage group attendees to join as NRAS members. We also had an incentive whereby the group that recruited the most members during this time, would win a £25 voucher to spend on raffle prizes for their group meetings. We are delighted to announce that the Blackpool group are the lucky winners and we would like to thank both Lyn, Blackpool group coordinator, and all our other NRAS group coordinators, for all their hard work - well done!



Yesterday was another busy day for us and some of the NRAS team were at just a few of the many events that were being held all across the country. Several of our patient groups as well as several hospitals hosted information stands in public places. Did you host one, or just attend one? If so then tell us how it went, or even better send in a photo.

We also published an infographic showing just how big an issue RA is: http://www.nras.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2013/r/rheumatoid_arthritis_infographic.pdf

Don’t forget to share it and spread the word about RA.