Health charity and grantmaker announce merger

The British Scoliosis Research Foundation, which funds research into the condition, and the charity Scoliosis Association UK (SAUK), which supports people impacted and their families, have announced they have ermged.

The move follows an affiliation between the two organisations dating back to 2006.

The newly created, merged charity will operate under the Scoliosis Association UK name for a year, after which a new trading name will be chosen.

“In an effort to become one unified charity that supports both those affected by scoliosis, and the future of scoliosis research, we have made the decision to merge,” said the charity.

Scoliosis can affect people of any age and involves a twisting and curvature of the spine. It most often starts in children aged between 10 and 15 and can improve with treatment.

The charity added: “The people that SAUK support have always been interested and invested in seeing the understanding and treatment of scoliosis be improved.

“It’s in the best interest of everyone affected by scoliosis that we nurture the development of research. Our combined energy and passion will allow us to make a stronger contribution to the scoliosis community.”

We are excited to announce that as of 1st January 2023, the Scoliosis Association UK and the British Scoliosis Research Foundation have merged. The charity will operate under the name of Scoliosis Association UK for the first year, after which a new trading name will be chosen.
— SAUK (@ScoliosisUK) January 30, 2023

The merger follows a dip in income for SAUK over the last two years. According to the charity register its income has fallen from £196,960 in the financial year ending March 2020 to £168,410 in the year ending March 2022. Over the same period its spending has increased from £194,890 to £197,740.

Meanwhile the British Scoliosis Research Foundation’s income almost doubled between 2020 and 2021, although this followed a period of decline over the previous three years.

While at the end of December 2017 its income was £155,600, this fell to £57,780 in 2020 before increasing to £130,989 by the end of 2021, charity register records show.