The Queen Consort visited Bath yesterday, Wednesday 25th January, to officially open the new Bath headquarters of national charity the Royal Osteoporosis Society.
Her Majesty has a long-standing relationship with the charity following her late mother’s and late grandmother’s experiences of osteoporosis.
Since 1994, The Queen Consort has been globally highlighting the condition, which affects half of women over 50.
During her visit to the new offices in the Bath Quays Enterprise Area, the Queen Consort met with specialist nurses who run the charity’s free helpline, which answers 13,000 enquiries a year, providing support and information for people living with osteoporosis and their family members.
After meeting with staff and volunteers, Her Majesty attended an event at the Guildhall to celebrate the charity’s move to the city.
The Guildhall event was attended by regional leaders, including the Mayor of the West of England, the Leader and Chairman of Bath & North East Somerset Council and the Mayor of Bath.
The City of Bath has a proud medical history, having played a leading role in the development of rheumatology as a clinical specialism.
The Royal Osteoporosis Society was launched by a group of clinicians in Bath’s Mineral Hospital in 1986. The pioneering medics saw the injustice and missed opportunities around osteoporosis and resolved to set up a national charity to support the 3.5 million people affected.
As it grew, the charity moved out of the city to rural Camerton in the 1990s.
Osteoporosis causes bones to weaken and fracture following simple injuries such as a cough, a fall from standing height, or even a hug from grandchildren.
Fractures caused by osteoporosis are one of the most urgent threats to people living well in later life, and to the independence and freedom people deserve.
Craig Jones, Chief Executive at the Royal Osteoporosis Society, said: “Bath has a proud medical history, having been a catalyst in the development of rheumatology as a discipline.
“The fact that the 3.5 million people with osteoporosis have a national charity at all is owed to the vision of medics based in the Mineral Hospital in the 1980s.
“We’re very proud to be back home in Bath and hope to be considered one of the assets of this great city.”
During the Guildhall event, Her Majesty met with other supporters, including Annette Browne, 64, who suffered four painful spinal fractures due to osteoporosis.
Annette said: “It was such a pleasure to meet Her Majesty today and I hope her involvement helps more people to understand osteoporosis and take simple steps to strengthen their bones earlier in life.
“This can make such a difference to people’s quality of life later on.”