On 19th October 2018 the board of trustees formally voted in favour of renaming Behçet’s Syndrome Society to Behçet’s UK.
Why change the name?
The prime goals of the society are to support our members, reduce the time to diagnosis for patients and promote research into Behçet’s. This will be achieved by raising awareness of Behçet’s to the wider public, including medical professionals.
When the society was formed in 1983 the term syndrome was widely used, there has since been much debate among medical professionals whether Behçet’s is a disease or a syndrome with many now favouring term disease. Renaming to Behçet’s UK allows us to step away from this ongoing debate.
Although we welcome members outside the UK our constitution states that we exist for the benefit of all members in the UK. As Tony stated in our autumn newsletter Behçet’s UK sends a clear message that this what we are here for.
To quote the famous advertising slogan Behçet’s UK now “does exactly what it says on the tin” it helps us achieve our prime goals, here in the UK, exactly as Judith Buckle intended when the society was formed.
Where are you in the rename process?
We are now registered with the Charities Commission as Behçet’s UK and we are completing the process of formally notifying organisations of our name change.
We have started the process of updating to Behcet’s UK on social media, so please bear with us if you see both names for a while, but we are waiting for our new logo to complete our rebrand.
Why call it a rebrand?
These days every charity has to take a leaf out of the book of large corporations to promote themselves. These corporations obviously didn’t start large, they started with a product or service and with that their personality aka their brand grew.
For Behçet’s UK rebranding isn’t about change it’s about building on what we have been doing and producing a consistent professional image which is familiar and memorable which will in turn lead to increased trust and support.
As a small charity the luxury of brand consultants are beyond our financial grasp however we can still apply the same principles and therefore the board of trustees have instructed an independent graphic design company to produce some logo designs which will allow us to develop our brand.
When will we see the new brand?
Once our new brand has been agreed by the board we will start a soft rollout of across our social media platforms and communication methods. To keep costs down we have already reduced stocks of printed materials and merchandise so we will roll out the new brand as stocks are used up.
For current Behcet’s UK members keep your eyes peeled for our Spring 2019 Newsletter!
How will you spread the word? Will it lead to confusion?
“Formerly Behçet’s Syndrome Society” will be prevalent on all social media, literature and communication methods for the foreseeable future. We will also reroute existing URLs and email addresses as long as necessary.
If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch via info@behcetsdisease.org.uk or telephone 0345 130 7328
Gemma Darlow
Administrator
January 8th, 2019
Our 2018 Conference and AGM will be held on
Saturday 20 October at the
Doubletree by Hilton Hotel in Bristol. This is only 5–10 minutes’ walk from Bristol Temple Mead Station and has complementary parking and disabled badge holder parking on site.
The venue is fully inclusive and accessible. The hotel has some fully accessible rooms, and guests will be able to obtain the special conference room rate – please say that you are attending this conference when booking. There are many other hotels and B&Bs close to this venue, including Novotel and Holiday Inn Express (opposite the station).
Programme 2018
09:30 – 10:30 Registration and refreshments
Join us before the AGM and conference starts for a tea, coffee and pastry.
This is a great chance to meet trustees, members and families also affected by Behçet’s.
10:30 – 11:25 AGM 2018
Welcome and report from the Chair: Tony Thornburn
Financial report: Alan Lane
News from the Society: Judi Scott and Gemma Darlow
The Judith Buckle Award: Richard West
AOB: Questions from members
11:25 – 12:30 Conference 2018 – Morning Session
11:25 – 11:30 Introduction: Rachael Humphreys
11:30 – 12:00 Post contract, how have we done? Professor Farida Fortune CBE
12:00 – 12:30 The Eye in Behçet’s Disease: Professor Miles Stanford
12:30 – 13:30 Lunch
13:30 – 16:30 Conference 2018 – Afternoon Session
13:30 – 14:00 Why are Behçet’s patients always tired? Dr Amal Senusi
14:00 – 14:30 Nutrition for Behçet’s patients: Professor Farida Fortune CBE
14:30 – 14:50 Tea, coffee and cake break
14:50 – 15:20 Diet and Microbiome in Behçet’s Disease: Dr Graham Wallace
15:20 – 15:50 Behçet’s Patient Centres update: John Mather
15:50 – 16:25 Medical Panel Q&A
16:25 – 16:30 Conference close
July 3rd, 2018
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