Spastics Society Collecting box

One 'Loving care costs money', Spastics Society collecting box that displays a young boy with callipers, the text reads 'box made by spastics', United Kingdom, 1952 - 1994

This collecting box was used to raise money for the charity Scope. When the charity was formed in 1952, it was known as the National Society of Spastics. Begun by a group of parents of children with cerebral palsy, the charity was very successful. By 1957, it was one of the top six charities in Britain. In 1963, it merged with the British Council for the Welfare of Spastics to become the Spastics Society. Many local parent organisations were formed which were an important community for many families. However, the charity’s successful fundraising and marketing campaign often relied on the image of children with cerebral palsy as helpless. This was at odds with the charity’s ideal that everyone could be successful given the right support. In 1994, the charity changed their name to Scope, because the previous name had highlighted language that had become offensive and made people with cerebral palsy look like a uniform group rather than emphasising their individuality. Many people within the charity, including people with cerebral palsy, had long advocated for the charity’s name to be changed. The charity also now support disabled people more broadly, rather than just those with cerebral palsy.