The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation has agreed a charity partnership with The Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust (RAFT). The partnership will see the two charities combine their strengths with the ultimate aim of providing a better quality of life for patients with leg ulcers.

RAFT is an independent charity carrying out pioneering research into practical and affordable ways to save and repair skin. It is currently working on taking 'Smart Matrix', an artificial skin scaffold, to patient trial by the end of 2011.

Leonor Stjepic, chief executive of RAFT said: "We share the same goal as the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation of improving the lives of people who suffer from ulcers, and we are very excited to be working with the Foundation."

Ellie Lindsay, founder and lifetime president of the Lindsay Leg Club Foundation introduced the concept of community-based leg ulcer care, which has grown into a network of evidence-based leg ulcer clinics, known as Leg Clubs. Leg Clubs provide community-based treatment, health promotion, education and ongoing care for people of all ages who are experiencing leg-related problems. "I'm sure that we can accomplish a great deal by working closely with RAFT. We share a responsibility to improving the lives of people who suffer with leg ulcers,"
she said. 

The Lindsay Leg Club Foundation provides the necessary support and training for nurses to establish Leg Clubs - an innovative model of care that has been shown to improve the health and wellbeing of people with chronic leg conditions. For further information about the Leg Club Foundation and Leg Clubs visit: www.legclub.org

RAFT stands for the Restoration of Appearance and Function Trust - an independent registered charity carrying out pioneering research into practical and affordable ways to save and repair skin. For further information about RAFT visit: www.raft.ac.uk