2025: Building for the Future

Our impact and the support we offer is bigger than ever, and we’re so thankful for everyone who continues to support us!

Our main focus this year has been creating more and more opportunities to get the message out there – in lots of different ways. We all know there’s so much more to do to meet the needs of people with persistent pain, but big change happens step by step. And we hope understanding pain better continues to be that first step for a lot of people.

Here are some of our major projects from the past year.

Pain Education for the Nation was our biggest public event ever. We were all a little nervous about going ‘live’ on the airwaves, but we hope the evening was eye opening and helpful to many.

We wanted this to be our biggest public event ever – and it was, helping us meet people in their own homes, maybe for the first time. We hope this is the first of many ways we can continue to reach more people, easily and for free.

The feedback has been great – here are some examples:

• “The speakers were very eloquent and their stories resonated deeply with me. I’m sure that like many others watching, who can find living with pain a dark place to be, the dimmer switch was turned up a little after the presentation.”
• “I was in tears at one point listening to the lecture as it was so helpful THANK YOU so much.”
• “One last thought… THANK YOU!! I don’t feel so alone!!!!!!!!!!”

Thank you to everyone who joined on the night and has caught up on YouTube! You can watch the recording here.

Why We Hurt is our digital platform that explores pain via seven helpful, hopeful, scientifically accurate sections. It was created with the help of experts in pain science, communications and those living with pain themselves.

We officially launched the platform early this year, and although it’s still early days, we’ve seen people really benefit from having pain science at their fingertips. Watch the video to hear how Kirsty found the experience.

Right now we’re offering the chance to give the gift of Why We Hurt to someone in your life – all you have to do is apply using this form (Applications close 23 December 2025).

If you’re a commissioner and would like to provide Why We Hurt to your whole community, please get in touch.

Our Painfluencer Programme also launched this year. Painfluencers (like ‘influencers’ – get it?) are people across the UK who we have trained to support people in their communities to understand pain better. They’re an extension of the Flippin’ Pain family and we’re chuffed to have them out and about, spreading the message in their different roles. A huge thank you to CADAS, You’ve Got This, RISE and Tees Valley Sport for having us!

If you’re interested in your teams becoming part of the ‘Painfluencer’ family, please get in touch and we can arrange a quote.

Flippin’ Pain Together is another new project that we’ve been trialling in the North East. Supported by You’ve Got This and RISE, the Together groups provide a regular space for people to get together, have a brew and chat about pain.

If you’re in Peterlee and would like to join us, you’re very welcome! The group meets on Wednesdays at 10am at Peter Lee Memorial Methodist Church.

If you would like to commission a Flippin’ Pain Together programme in your area, please get in touch!

Our Research: we’re lucky enough to be partnered with a number of researchers who have done some amazing work to analyse and promote the effects of Flippin’ Pain so far.

2025 was a particularly big year for Flippin’ Pain research with…

• • Two articles written by Dr Jagjit Mankelow: one published on our impact in a school environment, the other (submitted) about our webinars hosted for Scotland in 2022.
  • The publication of Dr Nick Lividas’s analysis of our 2021 Outreach Tour.
  • Community Pain Champion Julia’s analysis of Flippin’ Pain’s key messages being submitted for her MSc (watch this space for the results!).
  • Our partnership with Teesside University and their production of The Uninvited Guest: some amazing Flippin’ Pain friends shared their stories in video format, and these were played as part of the production. You can watch the videos here.

Speaking of research: as many of you will know, we often ask for your thoughts and feedback. Please know that we value your personal experiences and honesty, and we have been exploring all of this to make sure our content is better than ever for 2026. Watch this space!

And finally, our fundraising: this year, we supported Prof. Cormac to run the London Marathon in aid of Pain Concern. Thanks to your donations, we were able to raise £2,343! And it birthed a new parody song, all about pain science education:

Moving into next year, we’re excited to create more opportunities for spreading the word, wherever you are. As always, thank you so much for being part of our mighty community: we’re blown away by your support, creative ideas and stories of recovery. So please keep in touch!

You can sign up to the Flippin’ Pain newsletter here.