British Tinnitus Association

History
The British Tinnitus Association (BTA) was formed in 1979, became a fully registered charity in 1992 and has grown steadily since. From its base in Sheffield, the BTA helps and supports the public, professionals and organisations to achieve better tinnitus awareness. The BTA currently employs 6 members of staff.

Mission Statement
The British Tinnitus Association strives to be the primary source of support and information for people with tinnitus in the UK, thereby facilitating an improved quality of life.

It aims to encourage prevention through its educational programme and to seek a cure for permanent head noise through a medical research programme.

How Does the British Tinnitus Association Help?
The BTA works to help individuals with tinnitus and the wider public understand more about tinnitus, coping strategies and raising awareness amongst the general public. It does this via:

• A confidential freephone helpline
• Information leaflets, produced by leading medical professionals that are disseminated free of charge
• Production of ‘Quiet’ BTA’s quarterly magazine
• www.tinnitus.org.uk that contains information and advice for all audiences
• Attending awareness raising events across the UK

The BTA also works with medical professionals to support medical and clinical research and supports professionals to gain the skills and understanding of tinnitus to treat patients. The BTA achieves this through:

• Running Tinnitus Adviser Training courses
• BTA’s Annual Conference
• Providing a bursary scheme for professionals to attend tinnitus-related training
• Supporting medical research into tinnitus

Contact Details
Web: www.tinnitus.org.uk  
Email: info@tinnitus.org.uk
Tel: 0114 250 9933    
Freephone helpline 0800 018 0527
Address: BTA, Unit 5, Acorn Business Park, Woodseats Close, Sheffield S8 0TB

Registered Charity No: 1011145

In 2009/10 The BTA:

• Supported over 3,300 callers through our confidential freephone Helpline
• Distributed over 55,000 tinnitus information leaflets, available in several languages
• Distributed 6,500 copies of ‘Quiet,’ the BTA’s journal every quarter
• Trained 152 medical professionals to improve their skills and understand how to support people with tinnitus
• Organised Tinnitus Awareness Week in February, raising awareness of tinnitus amongst the general public
• Funded a dedicated Senior Research Associate at University College London to investigate causes and  cures for tinnitus
• Organised an annual conference - the national tinnitus event for professionals, increasing understanding and awareness of tinnitus
• Distributed education packs to schools, at Key Stages 2 and 3

Major Research Supported by The British Tinnitus Association

Tinnitus Senior  Research Fellowship at University College London’s Ear Institute

The BTA has committed to fund Dr Roland Schaette for three years to undertake research towards a greater understanding of tinnitus and its impact on the auditory pathways. This work started in 2008, and will run until November 2011.

The BTA hopes to raise sufficient funds to continue to support the position beyond that date. Due to the exceptional support the BTA has received from donors, we were also able to fund a Research Associate, Dr Anderson to support further tinnitus research for 6 months. This involved the investigation of dead regions in the brain that might initiate tinnitus work.

University of Birmingham Serotonin Research Programme

The BTA has committed to supporting a two year research programme, valued at £112,000. The project has started with preparatory work being carried out at the University at Buffalo. The grant will fund a two year full-time Research Fellowship at the University of Birmingham, This research will revolve around the role of the neurotransmitter, serotonin which is believed to have an important role in emotion and attention. Recent research has indicated that serotonin could be the key factor in the difference between those patients that can tolerate tinnitus from those whose life is made difficult by the condition. This research will be a pioneer in the use of molecular biological techniques in tinnitus research. The long term objective of this study is the development of a suitable drug for the treatment of tinnitus.