Royal Free Charity

#AutoimmuneAware #ConnectImmuneResearch

@britishthyroid.bsky.social
@bowelresearchuk.bsky.social
@jarproject.bsky.social @papaa-uk.bsky.social

Purple tile featuring a photo of researcher Dr George Robinson in his laboratory. The title reads “GEORGE’S RESEARCH FOCUS”. Supporting text says: “Dr George Robinson, a principal research fellow at UCL, studies how to personalise treatment for young people with lupus. His work looks at biomarkers, tiny clues in the blood, that show which patients have high levels of interferons, proteins that can drive harmful inflammation when they stay switched on.”

At @ucl.ac.uk, Dr George Robinson is researching biomarkers in the blood that could help personalise lupus treatment and identify which patients might benefit most from interferon‑targeting therapies.

Learn more about this Royal Free Charity funded research: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXHF...

Purple tile with a white illustration of a woman surrounded by cells. The heading reads “WHAT IS LUPUS”. Supporting text says: “Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues and organs. It affects around 1 in 1,000 people in the UK, but for children and young people, lupus is often more aggressive and can cause lasting organ damage.”

Purple tile with a white illustration of a person with a heart symbol. The heading reads “LUPUS IN YOUNG PEOPLE”. Supporting text says: “Some patients develop lupus before the age of 18, known as juvenile-onset lupus. Young people with lupus are more likely to experience severe inflammation in organs such as the kidneys, heart, lungs or brain, leading to worse long-term outcomes.”

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease where the immune
system attacks the body’s own tissues and organs.

For children and young people, it can be especially severe.

Three women wearing purple Royal Free Charity t-shirts stand with their arms around each other in front of an image of Tower Bridge. Each of them is wearing a medal after completing a fundraising walk.

Two women wearing hospital scrubs stand with their arms around each other, smiling in front of the entrance to Barnet Hospital.

Members of Barnet Hospital's patient at risk and resuscitation team (PARRT) have conquered the Ultra Challenge London Winter Walk in support of our charity.

Thank you for your incredible support.

Are you interested in taking on a challenge? Find out more via the link in our bio.

#NHS

Young boy in a dark suit and cap plays bagpipes in front of a bronze sculpture during an outdoor event, with several onlookers standing behind him.

Man in a dark coat speaks into a handheld microphone while holding printed notes beside a large bronze sculpture of intertwined tree-like forms in an outdoor courtyard, with other people standing behind him.

It forms part of the Royal Free Charity art collection and offers a place for reflection for staff, families and visitors.

#Remembering #COVID19

View from above of a crowd gathered at the end of a narrow lawned courtyard, facing a tall bronze sculpture between two bare trees, with benches and pathways along the sides.

Woman in a black jacket and scarf speaks while holding papers beside a bronze sculpture on a stone plinth, surrounded by attendees standing in an outdoor hospital-style courtyard.

A national memorial to NHS workers who died during the COVID-19 pandemic has been unveiled at the Royal Free Hospital.

Created by artist Nicola Ravenscroft, the bronze tree sculpture stands in the gardens of the Pears Building - each leaf represents a life remembered.

#RoyalFreeCharity #NHS

Purple square graphic with a white illustration of people. Bold heading reads “MARCH IS AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS MONTH.” Supporting text explains: "By investing in research today, our supporters are helping to unlock new knowledge about the immune system and improve the future for people living with autoimmune conditions."

We are funding research into autoimmune conditions and partnering through Connect Immune Research to drive better treatments.

@britishthyroid.bsky.social @bowelresearchuk.bsky.social
@jarproject.bsky.social
@papaa-uk.bsky.social

Purple square graphic with a white illustration of an immune cell. Bold heading reads “MARCH IS AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS MONTH.” Supporting text explains: "Autoimmune conditions occur when the immune system, which normally protects us from infection, mistakenly attacks the body’s own tissues. They are more common than many people realise. Around one in ten people in the UK lives with one or more autoimmune conditions, including diseases such as lupus and scleroderma."

Purple square graphic with a white illustration of a magnifying glass. Bold heading reads “MARCH IS AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS MONTH.” Supporting text explains: "At Royal Free Charity, supporters are helping to advance research that deepens our understanding of these complex conditions and brings new hope to patients."

Purple square graphic with a white illustration of a hospital. Bold heading reads “MARCH IS AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS MONTH.” Supporting text explains: "We have helped create the infrastructure that makes this work possible: delivering a bespoke home for the UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation and providing seed funding for the Royal Free Hospital’s clinical research facility."

Purple square graphic with a white illustration of a test tube. Bold heading reads “MARCH IS AUTOIMMUNE AWARENESS MONTH.” Supporting text explains: "We also fund early-stage research exploring autoimmune diseases, helping scientists take the first steps towards better treatments and, ultimately, cures."

💙 March is Autoimmune Awareness Month.

Autoimmune conditions affect around 1 in 10 people in the UK.

#ConnectImmuneResearch #AutoimmuneAware

Two women running and cheering with one arm raised, wearing Royal Free Charity running vests and sunglasses, passing shops in the background.

Every runner starts somewhere.

So why not make your first step signing up with our Big Half team?

General entries are sold out, but we still have a few charity places left.

Sign up now so you don’t miss out. Link in bio.

#TheBigHalf #WeRunAsOne

Staff wellbeing: Royal Free Hospital's 1828 restaurant transformation YouTube video by Royal Free Charity

With support from Royal Free Charity donors, the Royal Free Hospital’s staff restaurant is now The 1828 - a calm, modern space for NHS colleagues to rest and recharge.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIBo...

#NHS #London #Healthcare #StaffWellbeing #HospitalLife

A man and a woman stand with their arms around each other smiling in a church, holding a wooden frame which contains a certificate from the Royal Free Charity.

A group of people smiling in a church, with three in the front holding a cheque for £10,082.68 for the Royal Free Charity.

After years of care at the Royal Free Hospital, Manny Hammond decided to say thank you through music.

Four years and many concerts later, he has reached his £10,000 fundraising goal for the Royal Free Charity.

🎶 Thank you Manny, for your incredible support.
#NHS #Fundraising #London #Barnet

Thanks for raising this. We follow all NHS infection prevention protocols and patients are only referred for massage therapy by their clinical team. Where needed, staff wear masks and appropriate PPE in line with clinical guidance.

Nurse and volunteer stand beside a young patient lying in a hospital bed receiving treatment from a blood cell machine, with monitoring equipment and medical posters on the wall

Group of hospital staff pose behind a foldable visitor bed, holding large blue heart signs reading ‘We listen’, ‘We care’ and ‘We act’, in front of a Royal Free Charity banner.

Fitness instructor crouches beside an outdoor sit‑up bench, coaching a woman doing abdominal exercises in a small courtyard gym area.

Hospital photographer in an NHS polo shirt stands in a bright corridor, holding a camera and flash, next to a large tiled artwork of a woodland scene mounted on the wall.

North Mid has joined the Royal Free Charity family, bringing faster access to specialist care, shorter waits and much more...

Read the full North Mid story:
issuu.com/royalfreecha...

📸: Harriet Armstrong.

#NorthMid #NHS #PatientCare #London #NorthLondon

A clinical massage therapist in a Royal Free Charity T‑shirt and NHS badge provides a neck and shoulder massage to a patient receiving chemotherapy, who sits in a hospital chair with an IV line and dressing visible on her chest.

A clinical massage therapist in a Royal Free Charity T‑shirt gently massages the neck and shoulder of a patient sitting in a chemotherapy chair on a hospital ward, with medical equipment visible in the background.

Patients receiving chemotherapy at North Mid can now access charity funded clinical massage alongside their treatment - easing stress, anxiety and pain during a challenging time. 💜

Find out more: royalfreecharity.org/how-we-help/support-for-patients

#CancerSupport #NorthLondon #London #NHS

A man wearing a purple Royal Free Charity shirt and a red lanyard smiles in a hospital waiting area.

A woman with brown hair and glasses, smiles wearing a purple Royal Free Charity shirt, with a red lanyard round her neck in a hospital corridor.

Congratulations to Martin and Veronica, recognised at the @jewishvolunteering.bsky.social annual awards as Volunteer of the Year and Lifetime Achievement winner.

Interested in volunteering? Find out more at: royalfreecharity.org/get-involved...

#JVN #JewishVolunteering #JewishCommunity #NHS

Image of a woman abseiling down a building in a Royal Free Charity T‑shirt and helmet, with the words “Brave new heights for your local hospital” on a purple background and “Royal Free Charity Abseil” logo at the bottom.

Ready to brave new heights for our NHS?

Abseil 90ft from the Pears Building with us and support staff, patients and research at our Royal Free London hospitals.

Sign up now: royalfreecharity.org/abseil

#BraveNewHeights #RFCAbseil #NHS #London

The Big Half 2026

Caught the running bug?

Make your runs matter more and be a part of our largest team ever, at the Big Half marathon in September.

🏃‍➡️Registration - £30
🏃‍➡️Fundraising target - £250

Register now: royalfreecharity.org/get-involved...

#Fundraising #London #BigHalf #Running #NHS

Front cover of our annual report.

Inside view of our annual report, with the text 'Caring today, changing tomorrow'.

Breast cancer treatment left Margherita with painful lymphoedema and the fear she’d never dance again. Six charity-funded lymphatic drainage sessions got her back on the dance floor.
Read her story in our latest annual report: issuu.com/royalfreecha...
#NHS #NHSCharity #NorthLondon #London

Each Friday, harp music drifts through the 10th floor of the Royal Free Hospital as Chweechen plays for elderly patients on the wards.

If you play an instrument and would like to volunteer a few hours a week in your local hospital: royalfreecharity.org/get-involved...

#Volunteer #DementiaCare #NHS

Matt's LLHM fundraiser for Royal Free Charity. Help Matthew Moran raise money to support Royal Free Charity

Support Matt’s run and help him raise funds for our work ➡️ www.justgiving.com/page/matthew...

We checked in with Matt from his uni halls. He started as a young volunteer at the Royal Free Hospital, and now he’s studying physiotherapy in Cardiff and running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for us. 🏃‍♂️💙

#LLHM2026 #CharityRunner #RunningCommunity #HalfMarathonGoals #VolunteeringJourney

John's Royal Free Charity Fundraising Page My Family & The Royal Free Back in April 2017 I ran the London Marathon on behalf of The Royal Free Charity to raise money and give something back to an incredible hospital that has played such a huge

When he ran the London Marathon in 2017, his wife was in a hospital bed at watching him. This April she'll be trackside with their daughter.

John is running to give back. Support him at: 2025tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/john-hall.

John and Nicola kneel on a sunny garden pathway, smiling with their daughter Millie standing between them; all three wear light summer outfits in front of palm trees and a cream-colored building.

John's wife had a life-saving kidney transplant at the Royal Free Hospital in 2011.

His daughter was also born there in 2020.

#LondonMarathon2026 #RunForGood #NHS #MarathonRunning #LondonRunning

If you’re successful in securing a 2026 ballot place, get in touch via our website and we’ll help you kickstart your fundraising journey.

No ballot place? There’s still time to apply for a place with us - be quick, our team will be confirmed soon!

👉 Apply now: royalfreecharity.org/get-involved...

A man running along others at the Royal Parks Half Marathon, he wears a Royal Free Charity running vest with his name 'Gareth' printed. He waves toward the crowd.

🏃‍♀️ Calling all runners!

The @royalparkshalf.bsky.social ballot closes today – good luck to everyone who’s entered!

The therapeutic power of bringing art to patients - Arts Professional Robin Meltzer, director of engagement and communications at the Royal Free Charity, discusses the invisible therapeutic power of the arts in hospitals.

Art in hospitals does more than decorate walls. We’ve written for @artsprofessional.co.uk about how our collection across the Royal Free London supports wellbeing for patients, staff and visitors.

Read the article here: www.artsprofessional.co.uk/magazine/fea...

#ArtInHospitals #NHS #Art #Creative

Close-up side view of a surgeon at the Da Vinci surgical robot console, wearing blue scrubs and a blue cap, with overlaid text reading “2pm Surgery, second patient” and a quote describing the robotic system as a game-changer for precision, recovery and pain.

Surgeon in blue scrubs standing in an operating theatre during debrief, gesturing with one hand while wearing gloves and a cap, with overlaid text reading “6pm Debrief with the team.” and a quote about team debrief and calling the patient’s family.

Surgeon in blue scrubs standing in front of a blue door in the hospital, with overlaid text reading “7pm Drive back home” and a quote about listening to jazz or Nina Simone for something calming on the way home.

From early starts to long hours in theatre, this technology helps deliver safer, more precise cancer surgery with less pain and faster recovery for patients.

#WorldCancerDay #RoboticSurgery #NHS

Surgeon in blue scrubs standing in a theatre or corridor with blue doors, with overlaid quote describing greeting scrub nurse Jayson with a high five and speaking warmly to sister Geraldine.

Rear view of a surgeon in blue scrubs and a disposable blue theatre cap, facing an operating area, with overlaid text reading “10:30am Surgery begins.” and a quote about the robot being ready, the friendly atmosphere and everyone focusing on what they need to do.

Today we’re spotlighting consultant surgeon Reza Mirnezami and the donor-funded da Vinci Xi surgical robot at the Royal Free Hospital.

Surgeon in blue scrubs standing in a hospital corridor with blue doors, with overlaid text reading “A day in the life of a surgeon…” and an arrow pointing toward the text.

Surgeon in blue scrubs sitting in a hospital waiting area holding a takeaway coffee cup, with overlaid text reading “7am Grab an americano in the hospital.”

Wide view of an operating theatre where a nurse and surgeon in blue scrubs and caps prepare the covered Da Vinci surgical robot, with overlaid text reading “9am The lead nurse preps the surgical robot and the anaesthesia team gets the patient ready.”

Side view of a theatre staff member with braided hair in blue scrubs raising both hands, preparing for surgery, with overlaid text reading “10:30am Meet with the full surgical team.”

The national cancer plan promises a big expansion of precision robotic surgery across the NHS. Our community of supporters is already helping to turn that ambition into reality at Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, funding robotic surgery and better support for people living with cancer.

A man wearing a vest performs a dumbbell chest press in a gym.

A woman performs a deadlift exercise with a barbell in a gym.

A man wearing goggles and a swimming cap leans on the edge of a swimming pool smiling.

Put your wellbeing first and make 2026 your year by signing up for membership at the Royal Free Charity Rec Club.

Click the link below for more information, with exclusive discounts for NHS staff.

www.royalfreerecclub.co.uk/membership/

#Fitness #Gym #Hampsteadheath #northlondon #NHS