The Colostomy Association is a British health charity that began in 1967 as the Colostomy Welfare Group. It became the Colostomy Association in 2005. Its goal is to represent the interests of people with a
colostomy through providing support, information and raising awareness of life with a
stoma
In botany, a stoma (from Greek ''στόμα'', "mouth", plural "stomata"), also called a stomate (plural "stomates"), is a pore found in the epidermis of leaves, stems, and other organs, that controls the rate of gas exchange. The pore is bor ...
.
History
The predecessor of the Colostomy Association was the Colostomy Welfare Group, formed in 1967 by
Frances Goodall
Frances Goodall CBE (8 December 1893 – 22 July 1976) was a British nurse who was General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and a founder of what became the Colostomy Association.
Personal life and career
Goodall was born in Dulwich i ...
and
Gertrude Swithenbank
Gertrude or Gertrud may refer to:
Places In space
*Gertrude (crater), a crater on Uranus's moon Titania
*710 Gertrud, a minor planet
Terrestrial placenames
*Gertrude, Arkansas
*Gertrude, Washington
* Gertrude, West Virginia
People
* Gertrude (g ...
.
It following a pilot survey to find out if there was need for a national service for colostomates in the United Kingdom.
The Colostomy Welfare Group was later rebranded in 1989 as the 'British Colostomy Association' and in the following year moved its headquarters to
Reading, Berkshire.
Following the withdrawal of financial support from
Macmillan Cancer Relief
Macmillan Cancer Support is one of the largest British charities and provides specialist health care, information and financial support to people affected by cancer. It also looks at the social, emotional and practical impact cancer can have, ...
in 2004 new trustees were sought and the British Colostomy Association is replaced by the Colostomy Association - an entirely self-funded charity.
Services
The Colostomy Association provides a number of services to fulfill its role of representing the interests of people with a colostomy. It runs a 24/7 confidential helpline. The Colostomy Association has over 100 trained volunteers who provide emotional support to stoma patients before and after surgery.
The Colostomy Association also produces a range of free advisory literature written by members and nursing professionals. The Association's quarterly magazine, 'Tidings', is written for the ostomate community and had a readership of over 50,000 people. In 2015, the Colostomy Association launched, Stoma Aid, to ship surplus ostomy supplies from the UK to people in developing countries who cannot access stoma appliances.
References
{{Reflist
External links
Colostomy Association homepage
Health charities in the United Kingdom
Organizations established in 2005
Organizations established in 1967