Arthritis Diary In recent months I’ve become a charity trustee. Nothing to do with arthritis this time, but it relates to the work of the BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal for the homeless and vulnerably housed. In the process of being taken on, I had to talk about the other charitable interests I had, and that naturally led to a conversation about arthritis. Not just my personal experience of the condition, but also how I’d worked with both Arthritis Care and Arthritis Research UK when they were separate charities. In those trustee conversations, I spoke about the decision that both arthritis charities had taken to merge – how much of a challenge it was, how unsettling it was bound to be in the short term for certain individuals, but how – in the longer term – I was convinced it was the right thing to do. In fact, I have been quoted on a number of occasions by senior figures in both organisations as saying “about bloody time” when I was told. Getting on board Some of my conviction on the subject stems from the day job I do. The media world, especially 24-hour news on TV and radio, is an impatient world. There are always deadlines, there’s always the desire to get something on air just before your competitor does, there’s always the pressure to find the right voice to speak about a given subject with next to no notice. If an important story about arthritis surfaces, a journalist – especially a general reporter without a particular expertise in the subject – doesn’t always want a choice about the organisation they contact, they simply want a name and a number. If the process is made simpler, the chances of an important message about arthritis getting on the airwaves are much greater. When I recorded a series of radio pieces about arthritis for Radio 4’s You and Yours programme at the beginning of last year, I remember explaining to my producer that there were two charities she may need to speak to, rather than one. She took it on board, and then – of course – got some amazing help from both as we put our recordings together. The two charities each have great strengths. I simply like the idea of those strengths being pooled. I’m delighted it’s happened, as I hope you are too, and I’m sure it will mean bigger and better things for care and research in the years to come. Julian Worricker has psoriatic arthritis. He is a TV and radio presenter and journalist, and currently presents Any Answers on BBC Radio 4