Trauma & Orthopaedics Research Charity began as Belfast Arthroplasty Research Trust (BART) in 2002 by two surgeons from Musgrave Park Hospital and a mechanical engineer from Queen’s University Belfast. The aim of the charity was to provide funding for various research projects in joint replacement for the benefit of patients in Musgrave Park Hospital. Musgrave Park Hospital is the regional orthopaedic and rehabilitation centre for Northern Ireland. The hospital performs around 2,500 hip and knee replacements each year. This makes it one of the largest joint replacement units in the UK.

Their first fund raising event BART held was ‘The Hip Walk’ in Musgrave Park, beside the hospital, which raised £100,000. The BART Walk has ran every year since, raising almost £70,000 each year. The events are supported by the staff at Musgrave Park Hospital and a passionate volunteer and donor base.

BART has raised over £2 million for joint replacement research in areas including how to make operations more efficient and reduce the number of problems after the operation such as the amount of blood lost. Published research has changed how patients are looked after not just here in Northern Ireland but around the world.

In 2019, the Trustees agreed to widen the charity remit to include research involving all areas of orthopaedics and trauma.