In a pioneering response to the challenging charity landscape, and a real gap in the market, social venture Arthr has teamed up with charity Versus Arthritis to create and champion well-designed products that improve everyday life for people with arthritis.

The by-product of this ‘social venture with a commercial bite’ is that 100% of Arthr’s profits will be invested back into the fight against arthritis, enabling Versus Arthritis to continue the good work that they do.

Charlotte Guiver, chair of Arthr and director of income at Versus Arthritis, says, “With charities struggling through the pandemic, we are very proud of this innovative partnership which will enable Versus Arthritis to continue our fight against a condition which is often hidden and not fully understood. More importantly, it will address a much-needed gap in the market to provide products that help improve and normalise arthritis.”

Arthr was created to address the urgent need for a greater choice of quality products and aids, for the 10 million people living with arthritis in the UK, that have both form and function and are available in mainstream retail channels.

Research carried out among 1,350 people with arthritis to mark the launch showed:

• 43% do not think there is enough choice of products that have both form and function, and still provide a sense of dignity and independence
• 50% admit to having hidden their ‘medical-looking’ aids when friends and family come over, choosing to struggle without out of pride
• Those that do use aids complained that they make them feel old (36%) and constantly remind them of their condition (22%)

Bobby Watkins, managing director of Arthr, adds, “In the creation of Arthr, we have built up a passionate community; an ecosystem of stakeholders that includes retailers, users, healthcare professionals, volunteer groups and Arthr ChangeMakers all with a vested interest and common purpose to move this market forward. Our single-minded mission is to deliver value to people with arthritis through a new approach to retail and design.”

Arthr’s team of product designers, led by ex-Lego designer Adam Vaughan, develops new products that are not simply functional tools but design creations in their own right. Arthr collaborates, co-creates and rigorously tests the products with people who have a real and first-hand understanding of the day-to-day tasks that are challenging due to arthritis, whether that’s getting out of a car or lowering themselves down to the height of a conventional toilet.

‘Loved by Arthr’ is the company’s seal of approval, an unofficial kitemark for like-minded arthritis-friendly products already on the market that the Arthr team rates highly enough to recommend to people with arthritis.