Anaphylaxis UK delighted to announce new Support Group Programme

As many of you know, we have been using #AnaphylaxisAwarenessWeek2025 to shine a spotlight on the emotional impact of living with serious allergies.

The emotional impact of living with serious allergies is a heavy load to carry. It’s a load that many feel they carry with little support. The worry of living with or caring for someone with serious allergies, never goes away… we know that. But we believe that having access to trusted information and support can help to ease some of the fear, worry and anxiety that can come with living with serious allergies.

Throughout Anaphylaxis Awareness Week 2025 we have shared a range of new and updated information and resources to support you on your allergy journey, hopefully easing some of the uncertainty and worry that can come along the way.

So as a busy awareness week comes to an end, we are delighted to close the week by announcing our new volunteer-led support group programme to strengthen support for individuals and families living with serious allergies. This is an exciting new initiative for us providing a safe, inclusive space for people affected by serious allergies to come together, share experiences, and support one another.

A lot of work goes on behind the scenes to make sure these support groups are set up and facilitated in the right way by the right people. So back in June 2025, Vanessa Millward joined the Anaphylaxis UK team as our Group Support Coordinator. Vanessa has been working hard since joining the team to put everything in place to start the support groups in early 2026.

It feels like a great time to introduce Vanessa to you all and find out a bit more about her and these much-needed support groups….

Welcome to the team Vanessa! We’d love to hear a bit more about you in your own words…

Thank you! I’m thrilled to have joined the team at such an exciting time for the charity. When I came across the Group Support Coordinator opportunity, I knew instantly that it was something I wanted to be involved in. I’ve always strived to make a difference in the work that I do, and I have a wealth of experience working with volunteers, so the support group project was the perfect fit for me and I’m excited to see how it develops over the coming year.  

We are so excited to be launching the Support Group Programme this awareness week to provide much needed support to those struggling with the often-hidden emotional battle with allergies. What can we expect to see from these support groups?

Our support groups will aim to address and support a variety of different things. This includes the emotional side of living with serious allergies by providing a safe and inclusive space, where attendees will have the opportunity to share their experiences, discuss their worries or concerns, gain valuable tips and advice and benefit from being part of a community which understands the complexity of managing serious allergies. 

The support groups will run quarterly, either online or in-person, by our amazing volunteer facilitators who have experience of living with serious allergies.  

Can you tell us much about the volunteers that will be running these support groups?

Our volunteer facilitators are wonderful people, who have vast amounts of knowledge and experience dealing with serious allergies. Some have allergies themselves, while others care for loved ones with allergies. They have each been through a vigorous recruitment process, including screening calls, interviews, references and DBS checks, and they will have undertaken a significant amount of training to ensure that they are prepared for their role. They are kind, knowledgeable, understanding people who have a real passion for supporting people through their allergy journeys.  

Here at Anaphylaxis UK, we are proud of the vast amount of work and research which has gone into ensuring that each group is set up and run properly, by the right people.  

And finally, why is tackling #TheHiddenBattleWithAllergies important to Anaphylaxis UK?

Tackling the hidden battle with allergies is so important to our charity, because we acknowledge and understand that addressing the emotional impact of living with serious allergies is just as important as managing the practical side of having an allergy. Living with allergy-related anxiety is not uncommon, and we hear from people every day through our helpline, who are struggling with the emotional toll their allergy is having on them. Often, they feel there is nowhere to turn, and they are left to manage alone. At Anaphylaxis UK, we want to ensure that nobody feels that they must face their journey alone. We are here to take those steps with them, and to navigate both the practical and emotional complexities together, so that all those living with severe allergies can look ahead to a brighter future. 

The first of our Support Groups will start in early 2026 and more details will be released over the coming weeks on how to register for one of these groups. We anticipate demand for this support will be high, and plans have already begun for rolling out further groups throughout 2026. In the meantime, please follow us on social media to be the first to hear when the sign-up process is open.

In the meantime, if you have any questions about our support groups then please do get in contact with Vanessa at supportgroup@anaphylaxis.org.uk

Together, we will create a brighter future for those affected by serious allergies.