The latest news from Queen Square - May 2020
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A warm welcome to our new chair
We are delighted to announce that journalist, broadcaster and campaigner, Jackie Ashley, has been appointed as the new chair of The National Brain Appeal.
Jackie says, “I am thrilled to be taking over as chair. At present, we are being reminded daily of the importance of science and research to our health and well-being. Long after the Covid-19 crisis has passed, British people will still be struggling with dementia, the after-effects of stroke, Parkinson’s disease and other neurological problems. Britain is, however, very lucky in having The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and its allied institutions which form a world-leading centre for cutting-edge research. I'm delighted to be a part of it.”
Our chief executive, Theresa Dauncey, says, “The charity team has quickly adapted to new ways of working and is pressing ahead with ambitious plans. This included appointing our new chair, using virtual technology for the interview process. We've always been fortunate to have strong governance and we're confident that Jackie will lead us through the next stage.”
We want to send our thanks and best wishes to our outgoing chairman, Peter Stone, for all his support and hard work for the charity over the last five years.
We'll be meeting Jackie in our next e-letter to find out more about her personal motivations for championing advances in neurological conditions.
Research power
Research and clinical trials have not stopped at Queen Square − in fact, they are powering ahead to search for treatments in the face of coronavirus.
Covid-19 vaccine
UCLH Trust − incorporating The National Hospital − has become one of the major testing sites for a new Covid-19 vaccine in healthcare workers. Linking with Oxford University's clinical trial, staff can now volunteer to participate. The involvement in this trial reflects UCLH's strong research capabilities and represents a chance to contribute to the development of a globally approved vaccine against Covid-19.
Stroke linked to coronavirus
A clinical team observed a trend in Covid-19 patients who went on to have a stroke. It suggests that coronavirus may cause clots within blood vessels (arteries) in the brain.
“We now know that Covid-19 is not just a disease of the lungs,” says Professor Werring, Professor of Clinical Neurology at UCL and a consultant neurologist at The National Hospital. “Our findings suggest that blockages of large brain arteries in these patients are associated with highly abnormal blood clotting. Early use of anticoagulant drugs might be helpful, but this needs to be balanced against their brain bleeding risk, especially soon after an ischaemic stroke. A full clinical study is now needed to find out the best treatment to reduce the disability caused by ischaemic stroke in people with Covid-19.”
Do a good deed
If you only do one thing today, please spare a minute to vote for us! The Ecclesiastical Society has launched its summer 'Movement for Good' awards, in which a number of charities can benefit from small grants. This couldn't come at a better time, with many charities struggling with a fall in donations.
We would love to win one of the £1,000 prizes to help more patients at Queen Square – and there are 500 chances to win! But we need you to nominate The National Brain Appeal by filling in a brief form. The more nominations, the better chance we have. You'll need our charity number for the form which is 290173 and our charity type is 'health'. The deadline is Monday 25 May.
Thank you so much for your help!
A flying start!
Thanks to the 250 of you so far who have signed up for A Letter in Mind! The registrations are increasing daily, which is great news.
We also have some fantastic high-profile creatives who are coming on board. These include designer Zandra Rhodes; artists Chantal Joffe, Ishbel Myserscough, Morag Myerscough, Gill Rocca, Mark Dion, and Bill Mundy; illustrators Tim Hopgood and Polly Dunbar; and architect Laurie Chetwood. We'll announce more names as we get them!
All artworks will be exhibited anonymously at gallery@oxo from 5-8 November and on our online gallery, priced identically at £85.
If you haven't registered yet, simply click below.
STORY TIME: PATIENT STORIES
There has been a fantastic response to our #BrainAppealStoryTime, with many celebrities only too happy to take part and record themselves reading a short story. In recent weeks we have had big names including Peter Capaldi, Miriam Margoyles, Maureen Lipman, Gina McKee and Tracey-Ann Oberman. Go to our YouTube channel to watch them all! We'd love to expand this initiative to include former patients or their family members who have a strong reason for supporting The National Hospital. If you'd like to read a short story or poem, please email us!
For more personal stories and how your funding makes a huge difference to patients at Queen Square, please visit nationalbrainappeal.org.
Theresa, Marcelle, Tina, Cara, Anna, Eva, Alexis, Julia, Seb, Shaun, Marie, Lisa, Kim, Nicky and Jane
