01 June 2020
Like many member organisations, we benefit hugely from the contributions of those who work with us on a voluntary basis. Volunteers’ Week, held this year from 1-8 June, is the perfect opportunity to thank our members, lay and patient volunteers who give their time, expertise, energy and passion each year to support us and the wider rheumatology community.
It’s even more important this year to recognise and thank those who've been working tirelessly behind the scenes, despite COVID-19 having a significant impact on their day-to-day work. Together they've helped us create a strong leadership voice for the profession, enabled regular dissemination of COVID-19 guidance and generated insights on what it’s like to work on the frontline.
Thanks to them we've been able to provide additional support to our members through weekly webinars, member-only forums, our mentoring programme and much more.
Ali Rivett, our Chief Executive, says: "Volunteers are invaluable in every aspect of our work and I want to put on record my thanks to everyone who provides their insight and expertise in supporting our activities. This ranges from guidelines and registries to education, events, journals and many more projects, which support the community to provide the best possible care.
"Our new Quality Review Scheme and the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) have also particularly benefited from patient involvement, which underpins the success of this work.'.
During the week, we’ll share stories from volunteers and give advice for anyone thinking about volunteering with us in the future.
Volunteering with us
Some of those who volunteer with us do so because they get the chance to make a difference, however big or small, gain exposure to new communities and networks, learn event organisation skills or simply ‘give something back’ and make a difference.
For others, the benefits include professional development, the opportunity to develop leadership and strategy skills while helping shape the future of BSR. If you're interested in finding out more about how to get more involved with our activities, please contact Erin Taylor, our Member Engagement Manager.