Ninety years
of leading the way
1924 1923
31st January The British Empire Leprosy Association (BELRA) was launched at Mansion House, London. Philanthropist Sir Frank Carter provided the funds to put the Association’s plan into action. HRH The Prince of Wales became Patron and Lord Chelmsford, retiring Viceroy of India, was the first Chairman of the committee which also included other eminent people from Commonwealth countries.
Major General Sir Leonard Rogers, ex-Indian Medical Service, agreed to join Rev. Frank Oldrieve in forming a new Association. Rev. Oldrieve had conceived a plan to fight leprosy, starting with the folk cure of Chaulmoogra oil.
The Reverend P B “Tubby” Clayton, vicar of All Hallows by the Tower, London, met people with leprosy in Nigeria, which fired his enthusiasm for tackling the disease. Also founder of Toc H, an international charity, his call for volunteers brought over 300 lay workers.
1937 October-The first edition of the BELRA Quarterly magazine was published.
1952
1933
1945
Trials of Dapsone treatment started in India. In 1948 Dapsone was announced as a cheap and effective cure for leprosy. In 2014, it is used as part of multi-drug therapy for leprosy infections.
Our mobile exhibition van started to tour the UK, promoting our work. Two years later, the Association’s short title changed to Lepra.
1962 ears A . Fo u r y R L E B f Pa t r o n o it e d became , s h e v is h n g e r e u u b Q in e of Ed HM The ig e r ia The Duk H R H h e n t in N it m w le t r, t e e t S la rosy iv e r L e p t h e O ji R
1959 At Ongino Leprosarium, Uganda, the first made-to-measure shoe was tried out to take the pressure off ulcerated feet. This had a wooden sole and rubber insole made from car tyres.
1966
u r H Kamuz D y c n e ll e xc the b e r - H is E la w i, la id a M f o 20th Octo t r n t Pr e s id e e . “ It is o u s r ir y F t , n a la d B n Ba o n e in the n d a t io n s t u o f to remove a r ly p n e o L t o it s n t is p r o je c to correct d n a y a h o p e in t h d to vent ic h e x is t s but to pre s n io t le p r o s y w h a il t s and mu n e r a t io n s .” e g e d e f o r m it ie r u t u 1971 e n c e in f it s o c c u r r
1972: An ATV appeal by Noele Gordon (an actress in the Crossroads series) led to a leprosy village in Nigeria being renamed “Crossroads Village”.
June. Sixteen visually impaired cub scouts from the 23rd Sevenoaks group, who attended the Royal London School for the Blind, raised more than £8,000 for Lepra research.
1972: HRH the Duke of Gloucester, our Vice President, visited the Kumi Leprosarium in Uganda. 1974: After 50 years in London, we relocated to Colchester 1975:
We became one of the first associations to use multidrug therapy and in 1976 became a full member of the International Federation of AntiLeprosy Associations (ILEP).
1977 1978:
More than 800 people, including many celebrities, donated to the Ring Appeal. An auction at Sotheby’s in London raised £38,000 for reconstructive surgery and an auction in Glasgow raised £22,000.
Our fundraising appeal featured Dapsone collection cards
1982: Our first Edinburgh to St Andrews bike ride, which continues in 2014!
1984
Our jewellery appeal - “An Eye for a Gem – a Gem for an Eye” – raised funds for eye surgery and for training of medical workers in identifying and assisting with eye damage caused by leprosy.
1986
1984
Ashley Cooper’s Munroes Challenge, supported by our President Chris Bonington and others, raised more than £7,000
A new development – a “blister pack” with one month’s dated supply of drugs, first suggested by Lepra consultant Dr Colin McDougall to help patients to keep track of their medication. Lepra’s order for India at the end of the year cost £271,000.
W e ce le br a te d ou r d ia m on d ju bi le e w it h a se rv ic e of th a nk sg iv in g a t Al l Ha llo ws by th e To w er ch ur ch , Lo nd on , a tt en d ed by HM th e Q ue en a nd T he Ar ch bi sh op of Ca nt er bu ry R ob er t R un ci e
1988
1989: The inaugural meeting of the Leprosy Society of India. This extension to the Lepra family celebrates its 25th anniversary in February 2014. 1990:
Our BOLEP project began in Sonepur in Orissa state where the caseload was 8,514: the highest number of cases in the district projects.
18th February Mr Terry Vasey, Lepra Director, dedicated a new reconstructive surgical hospital, in Muniguda (Orissa, India),funded by the States of Jersey through Lepra. 1994:
1992 We funded research into a new surgical technique in cooperation with the Royal College of Surgeons in London and a southern India leprosy centre. Early results showed a 70% success rate in restoring sense of touch and temperature to damaged feet and hands.
1991
We started a Book of Remembrance to record any legacy or donation made “in memoriam” or in lieu of flowers and also recognition of outstanding service.
1994
7th December The Commonwealth Carol Service at St Martin in the Fields was organised by the Commonwealth Trust in aid of Lepra. The address, written by author P D James, was delivered by actor Paul Scofield.
The BBC Children’s Television Blue Peter Appeal featured a “bring and buy sale”. The appeal, which raised more than £2.7 million enabled us to begin new programmes in India and Brazil. We launched our Junagardh Leprosy Control Programme (JUNLEP) project in Kalahandi district in Orissa state, supplying jeeps, motorcycles, and bicycles to get the necessary treatment to patients in remote rural villages. On 14th December 1999, the Blue Peter Health and Research Centre in Hyderabad was inaugurated by Dr Michael J Herridge, Deputy British High Commissioner. The centre continutes to provide services to patients, training for health workers and research into leprosy, TB and HIV/AIDS.
1996
1998:
We applied our expertise and skills to provide integrated care, working with people with TB, HIV or AIDS, with some funding from the UK government Department for International Development.
1998:
Supported by a National Lottery Charities Board award, we started work in preventing disabilities caused by long-term effects of leprosy in Mayurbanjh, India. We funded vehicles, equipment, educational materials, salaries and training in four projects in Orissa, India as well as providing a revolving loan fund to help people regain their economic livelihood and dignity in their communities. In Brazil, we supported leprosy control programmes in four states as well as the Brazil National Programme and a rehabilitation project.
1999
1998
The new A d r ia n a r o se, named after a B r a z il ia n g ir l w h o f e in t h e B lu atured e Pe t e r a p p e a l, w a s la u n c h e d at the Ch e ls e a S h o w.
At the request of the government of Bang ladesh, we took over respo nsibility for leprosy control work in Sirajganj an d Pabna districts. Le pra Bangladesh had been registered in 1999.
2000
23rd February HM The Queen and HRH The Du Edinburgh atte ke of nded the recept ion for Lepra’s Dignity art com Quest for petition, held at The Royal Geog Society, London raphical . The competit ion was open to residents aged UK 16 to 24. A para llel competition held in India an was d Brazil.
2002
2000 To take health education to the communities, we introduced health education vans in India, presenting messages in a variety of media.
Our celebrity shoe auction was launched on eBay and raised £10,100, reflecting our focus on protection of feet to prevent further damage to people coping with the disabilities caused by leprosy. 2006: We set up health camps in Bangladesh to test for TB 2011: A new study from the Blue Peter Health Research Centre identified new biomarkers to detect TB early in HIV-positive people. 2012: Focusing on women with elephantiasis or leprosy, we started self-support groups and also trained 300 women in tailoring and embroidery in Arogya Disha, India 2013: January We started a new research project “Poverty reduction through strengthened health systems” in Bangladesh, funded by The Leprosy Mission Canada and American Leprosy Missions.