After taking care of your loved ones, please consider making a gift to the Anaphylaxis Campaign in your will. You will help us to fund our work into the future, so we can continue to campaign and fundraise to achieve our ultimate aim, to create a safer environment for all people at risk of severe allergies.

By making a will you have the peace of mind of knowing that your affairs are in order. Having an up to date will is the only way to make sure that your family and friends, and any charities you care about, are provided for in the way you wish. Without a will, the state decides.

Making a will not only means that you can look after the future of those you love but you also have the opportunity to help others in need.

How can I include the Anaphylaxis Campaign in my will?

A gift in your will really doesn’t have to be large to make a difference. Anything you leave can play a big part in the future, and you can leave a gift in a number of ways:

• A residuary bequest is a share, or possibly even all, of the balance of your estate. This means that once family and friends have been provided for, and other payments made, the remainder or a proportion of your estate is pledged to charity.
• A pecuniary bequest means that you pledge a specific sum of money to charity. It can be linked to inflation to prevent it losing value over time.
• A specific request means you pledge a gift of a particular item, such as property, antiques, jewellery or shares.

How do I make a will?

You can write your will yourself, but we would strongly advise using professional legal advice. You also need to get your will formally witnessed and signed to make it legally valid. We have a will writing guide to help you when meeting with your solicitor or will writer, which you can download here.

Find a Solicitor is a free service run by the Law Society for anyone looking for information about organisations or people providing legal services in England and Wales that are regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Visit www.solicitors.lawsociety.org.uk for more information. The Law Society of Scotland also has a search database on their website www.lawscot.org.uk/find-a-solicitor.

The government also has advice available online about making a will and leaving gifts to charity in your will.

How do I update my existing will?

If you want to update your will, you can make an official alteration (called a ‘codicil’) or make a new will. We have a codicil form to help you when meeting with your solicitor or will writer, which you can download here.

We would strongly advise that you don’t make changes to your existing will without professional help as you could accidentally render it invalid.

What about tax?

Gifts in wills to charities are tax efficient. A gift you make to the Anaphylaxis Campaign in your will can reduce the amount of Inheritance Tax paid on the value of your estate. You can find out more about inheritance tax from the government website.

Contact us

Our fundraising team are happy to answer general questions about wills, legacies or the Anaphylaxis Campaign, but we are not qualified to give legal advice. You can contact our fundraising team for a confidential chat via +44 (0)1252 546100 or [email protected].

If you are intending to include the Anaphylaxis Campaign in your will or have already included the Anaphylaxis Campaign in your will, please let us know by completing our Legacy Form, which you can download here.

If you’re not sure where to start with your fundraising, then we’re here to help. Whether you have a fully-fledged master plan, or a rough sketch on a napkin, please let us know your ideas so that we can best support you. Fill out our online form here or contact [email protected].

Need some inspiration?

• Auction: try to get people to donate a promise of their time, use of their belongings, or to donate a gift. All of us have something to offer.
• Biggest party: invite your friends, family or colleagues to a party – big or small – charge them for the  privilege of your hospitality and donate the proceeds to us.
• Charity of the Year: ask your company to make the Anaphylaxis Campaign their Charity of the Year or your finance department to organise Payroll Giving.
• Dress down day: get your work or school involved in a dress down day, where people pay £2 to come to school or work in their clothes of choice or maybe even fancy dress.
• Empty your pockets: each day empty the change from your pockets and put it in a jar… you can ask your friends or colleagues to join in and then donate all the change to us.
• Fashion show. Hold a fashion show at your school or workplace; ask a local retailer to bring in the clothing and charge for admission or ask them to donate a portion of the retail sales.
• Go without: if there’s something you really love, whether it is chocolate or biting your nails, get people to sponsor you to give it up.
• Halloween ball: sell tickets to a fancy dress party.
• Ice-cream: hot weather? Buy huge tubs of free-from ice cream and sell them by the scoop.
• Just Giving: if you want to do a sponsored event, create a page on www.justgiving.com, where your friends and family can sponsor you.
• Karaoke evening: ask a local pub to host one for you and charge people to get in or take part.
• Litter picking: people will be very willing to sponsor you if you’re cleaning up a local park, beach or kids’ playground. This is a way to help your local community while raising money, so everyone’s a winner.
• Marathon: run for us in one of many races across the UK, including the London Marathon, Great North Run or one of the organised 10k or 5k races.
• ‘Nearly new’ sale: a posher version of a jumble sale. Be selective – only sell nice stuff that’s in good nick – and you can charge a fiver for items that would cost 50p in a jumble sale.
• Outward bound weekends: the perfect way to promote team work within your company while raising money for charity.
• Pancake Race: it doesn’t have to be Shrove Tuesday to make pancakes, and pancake racing is great fun whatever the time of year. Charge people a small fee to enter the races, get experimental with some free-from batter and get an adult to supervise in the kitchen.
• Quiz Night: ideal for pubs, companies, schools or friends. A friendly challenge, with prizes for the winning team and most inventive answer.
• Record breaker: attempting to break a world record sounds difficult but it can also be loads of fun, and is sure to get people interested. Find a world record that you think you could beat or, better still, make up your own event! Then, charge people a small fee to watch the attempt.
• Sponsored event. runs, challenges, swims or even a head shave – ask your colleagues and friends to raise sponsorship money for you in a fun way.
• Themed parties: from 70s disco to super heroes, everyone loves getting into fancy dress for a night of fun and games. Charge a nominal fee for entry and make sure there’s entertainment for all the guests.
• University Challenge: get together with your old uni friends – perhaps through Facebook – and have a challenge together.
• Video evening: simple, but the best ideas often are. Email, text or – if you’re old fashioned – telephone your friends with a choice of two or three movies to watch. Whatever the most popular choice is, rent it out and charge everyone to come to your home cinema.
• Wig Day: take part in our favourite day of the year, Orange Wig Day! Wear an orange wig everywhere you go for one day – it will raise awareness and your mates will reward your boldness with a few quid.
• Xmas: buy your Christmas cards from us.
• YoYo competition: go retro and hold a competition to see who can do the coolest stunts and tricks. Charge people a small fee for taking part, or get sponsored to see how many loops you can do before getting in a tangle.
• Zzzzzz… host a pyjama party or wear pyjamas to work for a day.

Why fundraise for us?

We receive no government funding and rely heavily upon the amazing efforts of our supporters to raise awareness and much needed funds.

Where does the money I raise go?

Fundraising donations enable use to run our helpline and provide bespoke support to families and individuals with severe allergies. Money raised also allows as to campaign for change in key areas to bring about positive change for people with allergies as well as producing research materials and resources to increase awareness and education.

What sort of things can I do to fundraise?

Whatever you like! You choose an event or challenge which suits you.

We have charity spaces within events such as Marathon’s, 10k’s, Tough Mudder’s and Glow in the Park’s as well as Mountain Treks and Fun Runs!

But if you would like to hold more of a community event or design your own event, we are here to help you. Just contact [email protected] or call 01252 893850.

We’d love you to support our Anaphylaxis Awareness Week, 6th-12th May 2019.

Click here for some great fundraising ideas for individuals, schools and workplaces.

At the Anaphylaxis Campaign our volunteers are vital in the reviewing process of our Factsheets and Knowledgebase articles, if you have an eye for detail and would like to get involved we would love to hear from you!

Why volunteer as a Lay Reviewer?

Volunteering as a Lay Reviewer is a great opportunity to gain valuable skills in proof reading which would be a great addition to your CV.

What would you be doing?

Our Factsheets on more than a dozen of the most prevalent allergens are regularly reviewed, in accordance with Information Standard guidelines. One of the most vital elements of this review process is the involvement of those who are affected by the allergen. In reading drafts of revised Factsheets for us they are helping us to make sure the information is readable, clear and comprehensive. We’re often especially in need of lay reviewers for the less common of these allergens, including. mustard, sesame, kiwi, etc.

Need some more persuading?

“I have been a member of the Anaphylaxis Campaign since the age of 6 when I was first diagnosed with treenut allergy. Since then unfortunately my allergies have grown to now include several foods, drugs as well as exercise-induced anaphylaxis and the Anaphylaxis Campaign has been a key lifeline for me and my family throughout. I now work in allergy research and when I started my PhD in food allergy a couple of years ago I thought it would be a fantastic opportunity to become more involved with the charity and be able to share some of my knowledge and personal experiences with other fellow members.” –Harriet

If you or anyone you know living with severe allergies or anaphylaxis and would be interested in reviewing our Factsheet please email [email protected] stating which allergies are applicable  to you. We will then be in touch as and when an article relevant to you is being revised.

There is always something going on at the Anaphylaxis Campaign HQ in Farnborough and if you would like to get involved we would love to hear from you!

Why volunteer at Anaphylaxis Campaign HQ?

If you’re starting a career, returning to work or looking to build your confidence and skills volunteering in our office may be the thing for you. While volunteering at our offices you would have the chance to gain experience working in the charity sector and would have the opportunity to develop new skills to help enhance your CV.

What would you be doing?

From data entry, answering calls, preparing information packs to providing more specialist support we have something for everyone. As an office volunteer you would be a much valued member of the team and would be helping us in our ultimate aim of creating a safe environment for all people with allergies.

Sounds good? Don’t just take our word for it!

“I volunteered to do some work at the Anaphylaxis Campaign’s head office in order to gain some vital work experience in marketing and PR. I found the experience extremely useful and interesting, and became involved in a wide range of activities that ensured I gained an insight into the work that they do.” – Hannah Neenan 

If you’re in the area and have a few hours a week to give we would love to hear you. All you need to do is send over your email and let us know what areas you are looking to get involved with. To register your interest please get in touch today by emailing [email protected].

 

Important documents:

• Volunteering Policy (PDF)
• Volunteer Agreement Form (PDF)
• Safeguarding Policy (PDF)

Do you want to help those living with severe allergies and anaphylaxis in your area? If so why not set up a support group in your local area?

What is a support group?

Living with an allergy can be stressful and at times quite isolating. Support groups provide a chance to meet others in the area living with severe allergies and anaphylaxis, share experiences, swap tips and talk about whats on your mind in a relaxed supportive setting. All our groups are free to attend and are run by our amazing volunteers.

Why become a support group leader?

We are always looking for willing and dedicated volunteers to join our increasing number of Support Groups leaders throughout the UK. By setting up a group in your local area you be providing support to individuals and families in your local area living with the day to day challenges of severe allergies and anaphylaxis.

What do you need to do?

Support group leaders are required to confirm a venue for the group, promote the group locally and put together a rough agenda. Leaders are also required to arrange the completion of a sign in sheet and keeping in touch form which is then returned to head office. Groups tend to run 3-4 times a year and normally last a couple of hours, the times of the meeting is down to the leader.

What do you need to know?

You do not need any previous experience to host a group, only the willingness to run it with the help, advice and support of the Anaphylaxis Campaign. Support Group Leaders are not expected to give any medical advice to those in the group but are there to provide support and advice based on previous experiences.

How would Anaphylaxis Campaign help?

Our Outreach Development Officer is on hand to help you in all your support group activities. From producing posters, to promoting the group on our social media platforms we will be there every step of the way to help make your group a great success. We are able to cover reasonable venue costs and any approved out of pocket expenses.

Sounds good? Get in touch today!

If you would like to start a group in your area please get in touch and request our support group leader pack and role description!

 

The Anaphylaxis Campaign Local Information Volunteering Experience (LIVE Volunteering)

LIVE volunteering offers the opportunity to get involved on a more ad hoc basis.

As a LIVE volunteer all we ask is that you contribute by distributing information about the work of the Anaphylaxis Campaign a few times a year. You could get involved by delivering our posters locally to; libraries, community centres, schools, GP surgeries, sports centres and other appropriate public places. We will send you the pack of posters; all you need to do is use your local knowledge to help us raise awareness across the U.K.

There is no obligation to help more than you have time to and we are open to suggestions as to how you think we may operate most effectively in your local area.

If you would like to apply to be a LIVE Volunteer or have any questions contact us

 

Did you know that volunteering for a good cause can make you happier, healthier and improve your chances of landing a job? (Citizens Advice Bureau, 2014)

Click on the images below to find out more about our volunteering roles.

                    

                    

                    

For more information about getting involved as a volunteer, email [email protected].