A rapidly growing charity providing a new and unique support platform
For anyone, any diagnosis
our vision
To create a country that has equal opportunities to thrive beyond a diagnosis, whatever the diagnosis.
We know that recovery from a health condition is more than the healing of physical scars. When a life changing health condition happens, the impact on your sense of self, identity and purpose is thrown into chaos, and this is the same whatever the diagnosis.
We see a future where people move beyond their medical treatment and turn to us for their wellbeing recovery. A unique support system built by medical professionals, life coaches and voices of lived experience.
our mission
To foster medical expertise, professional life coaches and insight from people with lived experience to produce one central charity that is available to anyone, any diagnosis. To create a unique support system of guided recovery for the emotional impact of a life changing health condition, available to anyone.
To provide education and workshops to equip people with the tools needed to reclaim their identity, confidence and purpose beyond treatment.
Delivering innovative campaigns to educate and raise awareness of health inequalities, utilising art as a power of communication to invoke emotion and connect.
To utilise our position of bringing together patients with lived experience and medical professionals to deliver awareness, education and direction for change to the healthcare system.
When the medical treatment ends
the emotional healing begins
The question our team work by is...after every encounter with someone - do we leave that person stronger than when we found them?
This is where we step in.
Building a platform of education and support to help provide the emotional healing when treatment ends.
We know that after a life changing diagnosis, the impact on your sense of self can be overwhelming. Traditional healthcare doesn't offer support for this - so we built it.
Proving intervention to prevent people sliding down the Diagnosis Spiral, because what starts as a physical problem can become a psychological, social and economic one.
But with the right support, we know people can move a stronger place of resilience, finding joy again and thriving beyond the diagnosis.
The core pillars of our work
The core pillars for our five year strategy are IMPACT, RESEARCH, INCOME and AWARENESS. Underpinning these four pillars are the essential components of outreach programmes, collaboration and service user engagement.
impact
To continue to maximise impact: in striving towards equity in health support for people facing life changing health challenges in the prime of their life. As part of this; to advance our ability to monitor, reflect and improve upon each year within every aspect of our work.
research
To collate data both qualative and quantitive of the experiences of health conditions, the impact of such and challenges faced within the health care sector (both public and private). This can inform the growth of our services whilst also being used to assist in our strategies for higher change.
income
Investing in a financial strategy to ensure we have a sustainable source of income to provide these essential services. As a young charity aiming to meet the needs of a large proportion of the population, our growth is dependent on nurturing connection with our service users, corporate partners and maximising fundraising opportunities.
awareness
To develop a solid programme of marketing encompassing all online and social platforms to expand our outreach; providing education on a broad range of health challenges as well as an awareness of both the existence and benefit of our services throughout the UK, notably within NHS organisations.
Our work in three key areas...
Support
Applying a unique programme designed by professional life coaches we have created a series of health coaching workshops to guide people through a structured programme of personal recovery. Looking at the core aspects needed such as resilience, trauma processing, strength, purpose, advocacy - these courses have been designed by professionals who have lived experience themselves and know what is needed to rebuild your emotional wellbeing after a physical challenge.
Education
Delivering health education to the public to address health inequalities by improving health literacy, addressing stigma of disease, and aiming to improve the emotional impact of a diagnosis. Curated by medical professionals, guided by research and feedback from voices of lived experience. Innovative ways to capture new audiences and maximise outreach and impact.
Higher change
Working with people from all communities of health provides insight into their experiences, challenges and areas where the healthcare system could improve. Through active and passive research, we can then deliver feedback to the healthcare systems, medical training and employers to instigate change at a higher level, whilst simultaneously expanding outreach of our work.
Our core strategy for this is our Medical School Outreach Programme - providing connections and education to medical students who are the 'doctors of tomorrow'.
You fuel the real impact.
We are an independent charity, meaning our work relies entirely on donations, fundraising and corporate partnerships.
To become a Beyond Friend, click below.
We have a Beyond Friends circle - a community of regular supporters who receive regular updates, early announcements for events and exclusive opportunities. Without support from you we could not do the work we do.
Our board of trustees
As a registered charity (CIO 1209448) we have a board of trustees who oversee our strategy, governance and operations. Our work adheres to our governing document and in line with the charity commission. We are also registered with the Fundraising Regulator, Patient Information Forum, and National Voices. This is part of our ongoing commitment to the highest standard of operations.
Helene Raynsford (co Chair)
Andrew Attack (co Chair)
Tracy Levy
Tanya Hutson
Tracy Parsons (Treasurer)
Our operations team
Our senior volunteers lead our charity in delivering the services. Beyond this core team we have a growing group of volunteers who provide valuable time and skills to keep our operations running smoothly.
Dr Liz Murray
Founder, Operations Lead
Dr Liz Murray BCA, MBBS was the founder of the original Scars of Gold campaign and charity. Liz works as a senior volunteer to oversee the strategy delivery, campaign creation and collaborations of the charity. Liz was a medical doctor for over ten years before leaving her clinical role due to her own complex health issues. Liz is an author and women's health activist working in policy reform, advisory work to health tech companies and brands.
Lisa Bennett
Support Service Lead
Lisa is our support services lead and a professional life coach. Lisa was one of the original Voices of the Scars of Gold campaign after her own experience of Thyroid cancer and lymphoma. Lisa curated and helped produce the support programmes, adapting traditional life coaching models to be health-coach frameworks of support. Lisa runs the core support programme and assists in production of future programmes.
Dr Naabil Kahn
MSOP Lead
Naabil is a doctor and has been a volunteer with the charity since the Scars of Gold campaign. Naabil is a multi-award winning doctor, TEDx speaker and health inequalities activist. She has extensive experience in policy reform, medical student initiatives and has developed and leading the Medical School Outreach Programme.
Natasha Hamilton
Ambassador
Natasha Hamilton is our celebrity ambassador after being part of our Scars of Gold campaign. Natasha is a singer, member of the former pop band Atomic Kitten, and CEO of a record label. We are grateful to have her ongoing support with sharing our mission and work.
The origin of the charity
a foundation of voices leaving a legacy
Our founding story
The charity Mortal And Strong was borne from the vision of one doctor who, after facing her own mortality through complex incurable health conditions, realised a lack of support for emotional recovery was needed.
Dr Liz first began with the Scars of Gold campaign to address inequalities in health. Following her own experience of facing her mortality with a lfie changing diagnosis, she saw the value in using other people's stories as a beacon of hope. Realising that strength is often found from facing our hardest challenges, but that support and guidance is needed from those who have walked the path before us.
Inspired by the Japanese art of Kintsugi, a national campaign (Scars of Gold) captured the voices of 100 women who had found emotional strength in the healing of their physical scars. A collaboration of over 200 people, 170 health topics, and one campaign shaped what the charity would one day become.
Not long after beginning the campaign, it became clear that no matter what the diagnosis is - the impact on personal identity is the same, and that there is a large void in tradtional healthcare to help people navigate this vitally important step.
The charity was then formed as Mortal And Strong, with the key services, ideas and values shaped by the legacy of the 100 Voices. With the passing of the earliest Voices who were an integral part of the charity (Anjlee, Amy and Siobhan) the charity new that at its core was a reminder that joy is found in the essence of life itself, something as simple as a sunrise.
Since then the charity has adapted to need, refined our core processes and services for a sustainable and valuable platform of support. Built on the legacy of those involved in the SOG campaign.
Our services were previously named the Sunshine services, but as we have grown we realised the need to keep our message clear - and 'Beyond' captures in one word the direction we aim to help people.
