Charity Partnerships

The Douglas Bader Foundation

RAFT is delighted to announce that it has formed a charity partnership with The Douglas Bader Foundation.

The Charity was set up in 1982, following the death of Sir Douglas Bader, to raise funds to benefit, inspire and practically assist primarily the UK amputee community.

David Bickers (Chairman and Founder Trustee) and Keith Delderfield (Director of Operations) visited RAFT in September 2010 to hear about the new RAFT 'Bionic Limb' project. This research is aimed to give patients more movement and control of prosthetic limbs. As a result, the Foundation has kindly agreed to make a contribution towards the project. Keith said 'If Sir Douglas Bader was here today, he would wholeheartedly support this project'.

RAFT is truly grateful for this support and looks forward to working with the Douglas Bader Foundation in the future for the benefit of patients.

The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation

RAFT is delighted to announce that it has also formed a Charity Partnership with the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation.

The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation was set up in 1995 by Ellie Lindsay, a district nurse in Suffolk, who knew that social factors and isolation could significantly affect leg ulcer patients' response to treatment. Ellie introduced the concept of community-based leg ulcer care, which has grown into a network of evidence-based leg ulcer clinics, known as Leg Clubs. Leg Clubs provide community-based treatment, health promotion, education and ongoing care for people of all ages who are experiencing leg-related problems.

RAFT and the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation share the same aim - to provide a better quality of life for patients with leg ulcers. RAFT's surgeons and scientists are hoping to take its Smart Matrix artificial skin scaffold to patient trial, for a 'clean' wound, by the end of 2011. The team is also working to adapt the current model in order that it may be used to treat chronic wounds, such as leg ulcers. Speed is of the essence as any open wound is highly susceptible to infection, which creates further problems.

The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation invited RAFT to its 10^th Annual Conference, held at Worcester Rugby Club. RAFT's fundraisers, Amanda and Laura, were delighted to represent RAFT and found the conference both fascinating and extremely informative. They gained a true understanding of the complexities of wounds, such as ulcers, both from the patients' and nursing perspectives. This has confirmed the urgent need to get the Smart Matrix to patients in the quickest possible time.

RAFT would like to thank Ellie and the Trustees of the Foundation for giving RAFT such a warm welcome to the conference. We look forward to working closely with them in the future.

In March 2011 RAFT was delighted and honoured to be invited to attend the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation's Industry Partners Day and AGM.

Leonor Stjepic and a few key members of staff were given a very warm welcome to both events and Leonor gave a presentation of RAFT's experience of Social Enterprise. It was a fabulous opportunity to meet up with Ellie and her Trustees, together with the Foundation's key supporters. This valuable partnership between the two charities is enabling the RAFT team to truly understand the complexities of leg ulcers from both the patient and healthcare point of view.