The British Tinnitus Association – the only charity in the UK dedicated to supporting the one in seven adults in the UK who live with tinnitus – is now Tinnitus UK. Tinnitus affects 7.6 million people in the UK – with around 667,000 adults living with the condition in the East of England.
Today (10 January 2023), the world’s leading tinnitus charity unveiled a new name, new website and new chatbot – aimed at tackling the growing number of people developing tinnitus.
Deanne Thomas, CEO of Tinnitus UK said: “Now we are Tinnitus UK. This new name puts tinnitus first, because taking on tinnitus is the main reason we’re here, and we want everyone to know that. Becoming Tinnitus UK will help us reach more people with tinnitus, be more visible and raise more awareness of this condition which can have a significant impact on people’s quality of life.
We began life as the British Tinnitus Association in 1979, which reflected our roots as a network of tinnitus support groups. Then most people started to call us the BTA.”
Lynne Gillon, Chair of Trustees of Tinnitus UK, said: “This marks the start of a very exciting period for the charity, as we build on our past successes and strive to reach even more people who may be struggling with tinnitus – moving nearer to our vision of: Creating a world where no one suffers with tinnitus.”
Tinnitus UK received a major digital grant to improve their digital resources to further help those with tinnitus, and they used this to create a new and improved website, an enhanced web chat and a tinnitus chatbot.
Deanne added: “Our new website makes it easier for people to navigate, to engage with Tinnitus UK and to find areas of support that suits them. The chatbot means that we can help people no matter what time of day it is – as we know tinnitus can spike at night. Our website integrates with our new CRM (client relationship management) system, which will help us to connect with more people with tinnitus than ever before!”
The chatbot will be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week – and will guide people with tinnitus to relevant resources each time they visit the website. This is the only tinnitus chatbot that is free and available to everyone and marks a significant step forward for the charity in its aim to reach more people with tinnitus.
Alongside the new name, a refreshed visual identity has been developed, which features clear bright colours and a soundwave graphic.
Tinnitus UK’s new website and chatbot can be found at www.tinnitus.org.uk
