Come and join the party
On Friday 4th November 2011 in Birmingham there will be a large fund raising dinner to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the BSSA. We are expecting a high turn out so please book tickets as soon as the form arrives with your Spring 2011 newsletter to avoid disappointment.

2011 Medical Meeting
Following the huge success of the 2010 meeting, what you want to know about Sjögren's Syndrome, the next meeting is being held in Birmingham on 5th November 2011. Tickets are not yet available but members will be contacted as soon as they are available please remember that last year the meeting sold out, this year priority will go to BSSA members for the first batch of tickets. There will also be a social evening on Friday 4th November, more information to follow.

Click here to download Membership and Gift Aid form

11th International Symposium

For further information please click here
To download the 1st announcement please click here

BSSA Research Grant £25,000
Closing date 1st June 2011. To celebrate our 25th anniversary the BSSA are giving one grant of £25,000 or several smaller grants totalling £25,000. The closing date for all applications to reach the BSSA office is 1st June 2011.

Please click on the following to download information:
Grant Application
Research Policy
Research Strategy

Fundraising
The XV1 Golf Club meets twice a year around the UK, Ireland and France, and as the name implies there are only a few members in the club but its ‘raison d’être’ is to have fun during the golfing trips. During each trip members are fined £1 for any misdemeanours or minor infringements of the rules, which can cause great amusement at the end of the day. Last year the Club raised £100 in fines which the members kindly donated to the BSSA.

If you’re holding a fundraising event in aid of the BSSA, why not tell us about it and send us a photo.

2009 - 2010 Report
During the 2008 AGM in Birmingham it was passed unamonously by the members attending, that to move the BSSA forward the membership fee needed to be increased by £10 to £25 for UK members and £30 for overseas members. But due to the economic climate at the time, the increase was delayed until 1st April 2009. The last increase in membership fees was in 2003 and while some members felt the increase should have been more gradual and increased by £2 per year this would have meant that members would have paid an extra £30 during the past 5 years and the administrative fees to coordinate the increase, along with the cost of updating literature would have cost much more than the revenue gained.

April 2009 to March 2010 did see a small drop in the membership due to the increase but also due to the economic climate as a whole. Towards the end of the year numbers were climbing once again and during 2010 they should reach the same point as before.

During 2009 and beginning of 2010 the helpline has been extremely busy and both Bridget and Gill have been offering support and advice to members. The helpline has been receiving calls from not only members but also medical professionals looking for advice for their patients. This is very encouraging as it shows more professionals are willing to take Sjögren’s Syndrome seriously and try and help with its symptoms.

During the period of April 2009 to March 2010 we kept the charity stable and after the initial costs of moving offices, plus updating and printing BSSA literature we kept expenditure to a minimum. However during the period two BSSA funded research projects were completed and during the 2008 Medical Meeting a new research project was awarded with funding by the BSSA Medical Council. This meant the charity had to fulfil its obligations and pay the final instalments to projects and the first instalment to the new research project.

The UKPSSR project is going to produce a huge database, which hopefully will go on to improve the diagnosis and treatment of Sjögren’s Syndrome. Many BSSA members are involved in the project through their local consultants and hospitals and while the project has received a large cash injection from the General Medical Council, the BSSA felt they should award the 2008 research grant into the project.

It was decided an award would not be offered in 2010 but a larger award be given in 2011 to coincide with the BSSA 25th Anniversary. The larger amount will appeal to larger institutions spreading the word of Sjögren’s Syndrome further and raising its profile within the medical profession.

During 2009 - 2010 we had many fundraising events organised by members, some small and some large but as well as raising funds, all increased awareness of Sjögren’s Syndrome within their communities and amongst friends and family. We also received several bequests, which not only came from sufferers but also their family members too. Bequests are one of the most important revenues to charities and the one that can make the largest difference to the advancement of the charities objectives, aims and all that the charity stands for.

The future
Over the past years there has only been one member of staff in the BSSA office looking after all aspects of the charity. But from September 2010 Isabel has reduced her hours to part time and Heather joined the team also on a part time basis, with a different set of skills, which will complement Isabel’s. The office will be manned Monday to Thursday 9am to 2pm.

Heather will be looking after the membership and the database, plus gift aid, standing orders and ‘Make a Friend’, while Isabel will be looking after the charities governance, accounts, fundraising and groups. Between the two of them they will be looking after all the other things that happen within the charity such as newsletters, media, website, medical meetings, literature and events just to name a few.

Please bear with the office during early 2011 as Isabel will on maternity leave with our first BSSA baby, so Heather will be manning the office alone but it will be in very safe hands.

We believe Isabel’s and Heather’s skills and experience will give us the opportunity to move the charity even further forward over the coming years.

Click here
to join the BSSA