charity Get involved Arthritis Care is the UKs largest charity working with and for people who have arthritis. Were here to help them manage their condition and to live life to the full. Read our special report on Arthritis Care Week, which runs from 18-24 May, and find out how you can get involved Its Arthritis Care Week Support those you care about by Keeping Moving during Arthritis Care Week, which is being held from18-24 May 2015. Arthritis Care Week is about encouraging everyone not only those with arthritis to keep on moving, and to support the millions of people around the country who endure the pain of arthritis every day. This year, Arthritis Cares branches will be marking this special event by holding a huge range of events from hydrotherapy and New Age Kurling to chair-based yoga and zumba involving 5,000 branch members. Suggestions for other activities you could try to mark the week could include: walk off an afternoon tea; walk an extra mile; take a few more steps this week; start or join a new tai chi group; book a group pool or aquafit session at your local swimming pool; or do a local history walk. Keeping Moving helps everyone, but for people with arthritis the benefits are enormous. They include an improved range of movement and joint mobility; better pain management; increased muscle strength; and stronger bones. This is the 30th year of Arthritis Care Week, which was launched in 1985 by Sir Terry Wogan. How wonderful that I can wish Arthritis Care well in celebrating 30 years of Arthritis Care Week, says Sir Terry. I will certainly be encouraging everyone,including myself, to ease those old joints by Keeping Moving! Jane Asher, president of Arthritis Care, says: Our aim is to help the 10m people in the UK who live with arthritis by encouraging them to keep moving, which can often be the last thing they will feel like doing. Keeping Moving is important to us all, but especially to those with arthritis; movement and gentleexercise can help keep joints mobile and actually lessen pain andstiffness. You can support Arthritis Care by Keeping Moving with someone you care about in your area. For more information on whats going on, call us on 020 7380 6500 or email info@arthritiscare.org.uk Keeping moving Keeping Moving is the theme of this years Arthritis Care Week, which is being held from 18-24 May. We chose this as our theme because we know that regular, gentle movement can help people with arthritis to live a more pain-free life and generally helps improve self-esteem and we can all benefit from that! John Cook is our face of Arthritis Care Week you can read more about him on page 10 and his story is a great example of how you can keep moving when you have arthritis, even if you cant do all the things you did before. John is one of our Arthritis Champions, and a member of Llanelli branch, and now cycles and walks rather than running marathons as before. Keeping moving doesnt have to be daunting its simply about doing as much as you feel is right for you. Its more about finding something that suits you, that you will continue to do and most importantly that you enjoy doing. We know from talking to our members that this can vary from tai chi and hydrotherapy to chair-based exercises and walking the dog and all have a great, positive effect. So please do think about Keeping Moving during Arthritis Care Week. Check with your local branch to see what they have organised during the week, or set yourself off on a new challenge. We would love to hear all about what youve been doing! With very best wishes, Judi Rhys CEO Arthritis Care GOUTS ABOUT Arthritis Care is spearheading the first Gout Awareness Month in the UK. Launching in May and coinciding with Rheumatology 2015 the British Society for Rheumatologys annual congress the month aims to raise public awareness and understanding of gout, a disease around which much mystery and confusion still remains. Gout is the second most common form of arthritis1 and affects one in 40 people in the UK.2 Since 1997, the number of individuals diagnosed with gout has increased by 30 per cent and continues to climb 1.5 per cent annually.3 NHS Choices. Gout. Available: here Last assessed 15 April 2015. 2 Kuo CF, Grainge MJ, Mallen C et al. Rising burden of Gout in the UK but continuing suboptimal management: a nationwide population study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2014 Jan 15 3 Arthritis Care. Gout Nation Report 2014. Available: here Last assessed 24 March 2015. 1 "