This week’s blog is written by our Digital Resources Manager, Blayne. Herself and our CEO, Dr. Rick Thompson attended the Costello Medical’s Royal Visit with the Duke of Gloucester.
Blayne summarises the visit and even shares her three highlights since Beacon has been collaborating with Costello!
Our summer began not only with a Royal welcome, but with a Royal visit! Myself and our CEO, Dr Rick Thompson attended Costello Medical’s Royal visit with the late Queen Elizabeth II’s cousin, The Duke of Gloucester, to showcase our collaboration with Costello Medical.
Costello Medical’s CEO, Sophie Costello, is a trustee of our rare disease charity and asked us to come meet with His Royal Highness. It was an invitation that we couldn’t turn down!
Hear what Rick and I thought of the day:
“It was amazing of Costello Medical to invite Beacon to take part in the royal visit. As a long term collaborator, Costello have consistently show huge commitment and respect to Beacon and our work, as well as delivering high quality work to support our mission.
Having the chance to share our work with the royal family, and the dignitaries of Cambridgeshire was great for the organisations, and will no doubt open more doors for us in the future.”
Dr Rick Thompson, CEO
“I don’t think I can put into words how incredible Costello’s Royal visit was even a few months later! It’s already a privilege getting to work with Costello Medical, never mind getting to shake hands with British Royalty!
That was a pinch me moment for the little American I can assure you. Costello has been integral to our charity’s success, so I was thrilled that they were recognized by His Royal Highness and Cambridgeshire dignitaries for their unwavering dedication to giving back. You’d be hard pressed to find a better company and team.”
Blayne Baker, Digital Resources Manager
View the photo gallery from the day here:
Beacon and Costello collaborations
Did you know that Beacon and Costello have partnered on projects since 2015-2016? Time flies when you’re transforming the rare disease landscape!
Roll back the years with me as I highlight three of our favourite collaborations to date.
Thank you Blayne, for writing a great summary of the Royal Visit at Costello, and for sharing highlights of Beacon’s collaboration with Costello.
Rebrand
Our rare disease charity rebranded from Findacure to Beacon: for rare diseases in February 2022. We decided to rebrand our charity to clarify our mission and vision after 10 years of supporting the rare community. We are firm believers in the power of collaboration, so we used a highly collaborative approach when rebranding our charity. We’re thrilled to say that our patient groups, trustees and team were heavily involved in the rebranding process.
It took months to determine our new name. It was Costello who helped us determine our new visual identity once the name was picked. We shared a graphic design intern named Freya who split her time working on Costello projects and Beacon’s rebrand. Freya designed our new logo, icons and brand colours to make Beacon come to life. Freya went on to secure a full-time job working as a graphic designer on the Costello team after our joint internship!
Fun fact: Why we chose the name Beacon
Did you know that Beacon and Costello have partnered on projects since 2015-2016? Time flies when you’re transforming the rare disease landscape! Roll back the years with me as I highlight three of our favourite collaborations to date.
We chose the name Beacon for rare diseases because a beacon is a trusted guide when navigating dark and stormy waters. A beacon lights the way forward to find a safe harbour when lost at sea.
We see our rare disease charity as that beacon – guiding, supporting and directing patient groups. A rare diagnosis can be overwhelming, isolating and all-consuming. The diagnostic odyssey can last over five years, which may feel like being lost at sea.
Beacon for rare diseases exists to be that light that walks beside patient groups every step of the way; a warm, comforting friend. Our rare diseases charity offers direction and a clear path forward for all those who engage with us. We want to see the day when no one faces their rare journey alone.
The Student Voice Prize
The Student Voice Prize (SVP) is an annual, international essay competition that began back in 2014 with its first winner, Rosemary Grain. When I joined in July 2020, the medical essay competition grew so big that it now deserved its own website.
Our team once again turned to Costello to create a new visual identity for The Student Voice Prize. I was responsible for making the competition’s new, standalone website, while Costello Medical supplied a new logo and colour scheme for SVP. Costello gave our competition an air of prestige and legitimacy with their designs, which elevated the competition further.
Speaking of SVP, The Student Voice Prize 2023 returns this September!
The Patient Pairing Scheme, where patient groups can apply to be paired with a medical student entering the competition to share the rare experience, opens today!
The Resources Hub
If you’ve created a free account on The Resources Hub, then you’ve probably noticed that Costello Medical has written a variety of courses to help patient groups reach their advocacy goals.
Costello has provided pro-bono support on topics, such as access and reimbursement, collaborating with medical professionals and building a rare disease registry amongst others. You may also note that the Costello team has created custom animations and icons for The Hub to enhance your learning experience!
Log into the Hub now to view the changes we’ve been making to bring you an enhanced learning experience.
Fun fact: The voice you hear on our Supporting Mental Health animation is Freya!
