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Home > About Osteopathy > The BSO > Supporting the BSO

   Supporting the BSO

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Ways you can help   The BSO in the community   Specialist clinics at the BSO’s clinical centre   Scholarship and bursaries

Through its own in-house specialist clinics and its growing portfolio of community outreach clinics and the osteopathic treatment being provided by its ever-growing number of graduates, the BSO continues to help keep people mobile, pain-free and able to continue working.

At the BSO we think that osteopathy should be accessible to everyone: we can offer a swift service to patients who might face long waits for alternative treatment via the NHS.

The BSO is a world leader in osteopathic research, the design and delivery of osteopathic education, and in the expansion of evidence-based practice within osteopathy. You may wish to fund research or bursaries.

Please help us in this vital work.

Examples of where your money could go:

From April 2008 a £50 monthly gift-aided donation to the BSO, would be worth £64.10. This gift could cover the costs of two hours of our outreach community clinic for older people at Darwin Court.

A gift of £100 could purchase a new chair for our clinical centre.

A gift of £1,000 could buy us a new plinth.

Why not name a treatment room in our clinical centre to commemorate a loved one? Thanks to Gift Aid, a £25,000 gift need only cost higher rate tax payers £19,500 and could be made over four annual donations of £4,875.

Ways you can help:

(please follow the links for further details and forms)

Please let us know if you wish your donation to go to a specific area of our work. For further information please contact Anna Somerset, Head of Fundraising a.somerset@bso.ac.uk or 020 7089 5336

Standing order
To set up a standing order please download, complete this form and send it back to us. If you also complete the Gift Aid declaration you will increase the value of your contribution by 28% (25% after 1 April). Regular monthly or quarterly donations are particularly beneficial to the BSO as they allow us to plan ahead knowing that funding is in place. By setting up a standing order with your bank you can make a regular gift to the BSO for however long as you like. Setting up a standing order has never been easier and could make the world of difference to our work.

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Legacies
A legacy, whether it is £500 or £500,000, will make all the difference to a whole range of peoples’ lives when given to the BSO. By remembering the BSO in your will, you could be helping older people to maintain their mobility and keep living independent and fulfilling lives. You could be helping motivated students with their studies. It is a wonderful way of making a positive difference beyond your lifetime. Many people do not appreciate just how easy it is to leave money to charity in a will and still provide for family and friends. Without the money received from legacies, the BSO would not be able to provide free and subsidised treatment for the local community.

Making a gift in your will to the British School of Osteopathy.

Here are three examples of how you can leave a gift to the BSO:

  1. Leaving your residue to the British School of Osteopathy
    Once you have provided for your family and friends with specific gifts of money or items, the BSO receives all or part of the residue of your estate. This is what is left when all the specific legacies and other liabilities have been paid.
  2. Leaving a sum of money to the British School of Osteopathy
    If you wish to leave us a sum of money in your will, we suggest that you include the following wording:
    “I give to the British School of Osteopathy, Registered Charity No. 312873, 275 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JE the sum of [amount in figures and words] to be used for its general charitable purposes”.
  3. Leaving a specific item to the British School of Osteopathy
    If you wish to leave us a specific valuable object in your will, for example a piece of antique furniture, art, jewellery or a property, we suggest that you include the following wording:
    “I give to the British School of Osteopathy, Registered Charity No. 312873, 275 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JE my [ insert full description of item] belonging to me at the date of my death].

Remember: All gifts to the BSO are free of inheritance tax!
If your total estate (e.g. your house and contents, car, investments and savings) is worth more than the inheritance tax threshold (which increases every year), you may choose to give whatever is left to charity in order to minimise the inheritance tax paid on your death.

An In-Memoriam book records all legacy and in-memoriam gifts and, will live on as a testimony of your generosity. It may also be possible to name a room in your memory.

You can add a gift to the BSO in your will when you are drawing it up, or add a simple codicil to an existing will. Please state the amount you wish to leave, our full name and address and our charity number: British School of Osteopathy, 275 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1JE. Registered charity number 312873.

For more information please see the BSO legacies leaflet and the BSO Guide to Legacies. Please call us if you have any queries on 020 7 089 5336

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Making an individual gift

If you would like to make an online donation you can do so securely via: www.bmycharity.com/bso. This donation can be gift-aided.

You may wish to talk to us on 0207 407 0222 before making a donation. Otherwise, please make your cheque out to: The British School of Osteopathy and send it to Fundraising Department, BSO, 275 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1JE. Please fill in a Gift Aid declaration form if applicable.

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All you have to do is fill in a Gift Aid declaration form to say you are eligible for Gift Aid if you are a UK tax payer to allow the BSO to reclaim the tax on your donation. Make your money go further and provide more osteopathic treatments – helping even more people.

ALL donations, regardless of size, qualify for Gift Aid!

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Gifts of Shares
If you donate shares to British School of Osteopathy, you can get income tax relief on the donation. If you are a higher-rate taxpayer, for instance, and donate £10,000 worth of shares, you will get £4,000 tax relief. Or, if you pay tax at the standard rate, the relief would be £2,200. You can claim this on your self- assessment tax form. If you do want advice on your specific tax circumstances, you will need to contact a financial advisor or HMRC (formerly the Inland Revenue) 0845 9000 444.

Naming opportunities
From time to time opportunities arise of naming rooms and facilities at the BSO after your company, your trust, yourself or in memory of someone special. The new clinic offers some excellent opportunities of this kind.

Donors can be acknowledged with a name plaque. For example Alan and Sheila Diamond recently sponsored the BSO’s main lecture theatre, naming it the Adela Diamond Lecture Theatre. The BSO is delighted to have this chance to publicly recognise our sponsors.

If you wish to take up a naming opportunity please contact: Anna Somerset, Head of Fundraising (see above).

Naming Opportunities in the BSO's clinical centre

Clinic £750,000
Waiting room £250,000
Faculty common room £40,000
Teaching and seminar room £40,000
Team point for students £30,000
Treatment room £25,000
Patient records filing Room £20,000
Office £20,000
Refreshment point £15,000
Review room £15,000
Washroom for disabled people £15,000
Gentlemen’s washroom £10,000
Ladies' washroom £10,000
Showers/changing room £10,000

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Support from Trusts and Foundations
The BSO is the UK’s oldest school of osteopathy. We educate osteopaths, conduct research and treat patients, including some of the most socially excluded people in our community. We do not cover the costs of treatment and are extremely grateful to have consistently received support from trusts and foundations towards our work.

We aim to be a centre of excellence, maintaining and driving forward standards in every area of our operations. Our faculty and associates are among the leaders in their field; writing standard texts, lecturing and teaching around the world, sitting on professional bodies such as the General Osteopathic Council and innovating in education and practice.

In addition to our Patron, HRH The Princess Royal, the BSO is privileged to have a distinguished group of Vice Patrons who actively support our fundraising efforts.

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Sponsorship Opportunities/Corporate Partnerships

The BSO is delighted to work with corporate partners and has a range of sponsorship opportunities. Please call us to find out more.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact us at any time. Anna Somerset, Head of Fundraising, The British School of Osteopathy, 275 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1JE (a.somerset@bso.ac.uk or 020 7089 5336)

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Participating in a fundraising event

Perhaps you would like to take part in another run, or hold a sponsored initiative for the BSO, or indeed a social event. You can raise funds online via the above site. Your help would be very welcome. Our book sales in our clinical centre have raised thousands of pounds for the BSO over the years.

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The BSO in the community

Without your help we would be unable to educate the osteopaths of the future, treat patients in our clinical centre, offer treatment that is free to patients via our award-winning community outreach clinics or conduct research into osteopathy.

At the BSO we have several outreach community clinics which are vital to the patients they support.

Children’s osteopathy clinic at the Beormund School
Clinic at the Manna Centre for homeless people
Clinics at Lucy Brown House and Darwin Court for older people
Clinics for people living with HIV/AIDS
Children’s clinic for children from birth to five years old at the 1st Place Children's and Parents Centre
Clinic at East Street GP surgery
Specialist in-house clinics at the BSO’s clinical centre

Children’s clinic at the Beormund School
The BSO runs a weekly osteopathy clinic at the Beormund Primary School in Southwark, which caters for children with social, behavioural and emotional activities. Osteopathic treatment is tailored to the needs of each child, taking into account their state of health and medical history. This clinic utitlises gentle manual therapeutic techniques, and encourages children to express their emotions through positive interactions.

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Clinic the Manna Centre for homeless people, SE1
The BSO has a long tradition of providing osteopathy for homeless people, and has run this weekly clinic since 1998. Erratic and rough sleeping lifestyles have huge impacts on the body. Psychological and social interaction benefits may also be obtained.

Garry, 58, has been living rough on and off for the last 15 years. He suffered head, leg and shoulder injuries when run over by a car some years ago while sleeping rough. “After the accident I couldn’t move my shoulder at all. I had a limp too – it was like one leg was shorter than the other” says Garry. In the four years that he has been regularly attending the BSO’s weekly osteopathy outreach clinic at the Manna Centre, he has achieved complete movement in his shoulder and completed the 2007 London Marathon for the homeless charity Crisis, raising £2,500.

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Clinics at Lucy Brown House and Darwin Court for older people
The BSO runs weekly osteopathy clinics for older people at Lucy Brown House and Darwin Court in Southwark. At Lucy Brown House, residents receive osteopathic care in their own homes. Osteopathic treatment is also offered to older people, both resident and non-resident, at the Peabody Trust’s Darwin Court. Teams of BSO tutors and students working in this clinics aim to help relieve the symptoms of a range of musculo-skeletal conditions associated with the ageing process, predominantly wear and tear, rheumatic pains and osteoarthritis.

“I’ve been coming for treatment for back pain for several weeks now. I picked up a leaflet about it from the reception desk and I’m pleased I did. I feel the benefit when I’ve had a treatment: I’m always more mobile when I come out. I’ve also introduced another lady who has been suffering with her neck. It’s a good service: it’s free, and they are a very nice, friendly team.” Annie, 82, a patient at the BSO’s outreach osteopathy clinic at Darwin Court.

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Clinics for people living with HIV/AIDS
The BSO’s weekly osteopathy clinic at The Royal Free Hospital’s Ian Charleson Day Centre at the Royal Free Hospital in north west London, and the Chapman Clinic which runs from our clinical centre on Southwark Bridge Road both provide osteopathy for patients with HIV/AIDS. In these clinics, teams of senior BSO degree students are supervised by qualified osteopaths who have a specialist interest in HIV/AIDS, drug therapies, associated pathologies and the musculo-skeletal presentation of HIV/AIDS. Osteopathic treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS can bring improvements to quality of life by addressing the particular musculo-skeletal dysfunction they often experience. It also complements the drug therapies used to manage HIV/AIDS and may also help in coping with the side effects they can bring.

“Lots of people think that, because there is now medication for HIV that can keep people alive you should just be grateful and get on with it, but there can still be lots of problems in dealing with HIV. The osteopathy I get is helping to keep things under control. I don’t know what I would have done if this clinic had not been started: it is fantastic that my doctor steered me here.” Sally, patient at the BSO’s weekly osteopathy clinic at The Royal Free Hospital’s Ian Charleson Day Centre.

The BSO's clinic for people with HIV/AIDS at the Royal Free Hospital and its Chapman Clinic are generously supported by the Peter Moores Foundation.

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Children’s clinic for children from birth to five years old at the 1st Place Children's and Parents Centre
In the summer of 2007 the BSO opened and osteopathic clinic for children from birth to five years old at the 1st Place Centre, which is situated near Southwark’s Aylesbury Estate, in an area that has experienced great social disadvantage and exclusion. This clinic aims to help the children of vulnerable local families with a range of physical problems.

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Clinic at East Street GP surgery
Since 1999 the BSO has an osteopathic clinic at the East Street GP surgery which provides primary health care services for an area off the Old Kent Road in Southwark with very high rates of poverty and social exclusion. Patient s are referred to this clinic by their GP or the practice nurse. The clinic has expanded to two days a week due to demand, and provides treatment which is free to patients for a wide range of musculo-skeletal conditions. Many of the patients are chronic pain patients with complex and challenging sets of health problems and issues. The BSO teams working at this clinic aim to help with the management of long-term conditions.

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Specialist in-house clinics at the BSO’s clinical centre

Expectant Mothers' Clinic
Many women experience back pain during pregnancy. Osteopathy can help with this and many other problems associated with pregnancy such as leg pains, pelvic pain and pain and tension in the neck and shoulders. The BSO has run an Expectant Mothers’ Clinic since 1980.

Children’s Clinic
The BSO has operated a Children’s Clinic for over 50 years. Many children first come to us when their mothers have a post-natal musculo-skeletal health check. Osteopathy can help children with a range of physical problems. The BSO’s Children’s Clinic has treated children from a few weeks old up to the age of 16 years.

Sports Injuries Clinic
This clinic treats professional athletes, committed amateurs and gym, fitness and keep-fit enthusiasts. Osteopathy helps people who enjoy sport at all levels of involvement with join pain; muscular aches, pains, strains, pulls; back pain; preparation for big events; stiffness and tension; managing problem areas and enhancing stretching regimes. This clinic is also suitable for dancers, actors and other professional performers.

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Scholarship and bursaries

Although the BSO has recently secured government funding through a partnership with the University of Bedfordshire, relieving the financial burden of tuition fees for our students, the School does not have direct access to HEFCE institutional enhancement grants, and does not receive direct NHS funding for the healthcare services provided. A high percentage of our students are not eligible for maintenance grants or student loans and many suffer financial hardship as a result of having to pay the full costs of the course. As a result, many are forced to spend valuable study time - on what is a very demanding course - in paid employment. Some are unable to complete their studies; many more highly skilled students are deterred from applying.

The proposed new Government Equivalent Learning Qualification In September 2007, the Government instructed the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to withdraw institutional funding for ELQ students - those studying for an equivalent or lower level qualification. This means that any student coming to the BSO to study an osteopathy degree who already has a degree that is deemed to be ‘higher’, will not be able to get any funding for their degree. Since many of our students are classified as ELQ, affording to study at the BSO will be a challenge for students in the future.

Bursary provision is essential to reduce these problems, and make osteopathic training more accessible, and so helping to meet the growing demand for osteopathic treatment

For further information please contact: Anna Somerset, Head of Fundraising, The British School of Osteopathy, 275 Borough High Street , London, SE1 1JE (a.somerset@bso.ac.uk or 020 7089 5336)

   
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