Supporting people at risk of severe allergies
Help us continue to provide information and support to people living with severe allergies, their families and carers, through our national helpline and volunteer-led local support groups.
Call +44 (0)1252 546100 to make a donation by debit or credit card, or amend your existing direct debit.
Please address your cheques to ‘Anaphylaxis Campaign’ and send in the post to: Anaphylaxis Campaign, 1 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6BU.
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].
Money raised allows us 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.
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 Mudders and Glow in the Parks 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.
Click here for some great fundraising ideas for individuals, schools and workplaces.
We rely on the wealth of experience from our supporters to help us review our Factsheets and Knowledgebase articles.
We regularly produce and update our Factsheets and Knowledgebase articles to provide the most up to date information available. 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.
If you or anyone you know living with severe allergies or anaphylaxis and would be interested in reviewing our materials, please fill out this form and email it to [email protected]. Once registered, we will then be in contact with relevant articles as and when they require review.
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 head office in Farnborough, 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.
As part of a small team, you would be required to undertake a wide and varied range of tasks, from administrative duties and answering calls, to preparing information packs. 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.
If you live in the area and have a few hours a week to give we would love to hear from you. All you need to do is email your CV to [email protected].
Important documents:
Do you want to help those living with severe allergies and anaphylaxis? If so, why not set up a Support Group in your local area?
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.
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 will be providing support to individuals and families in your local area living with the day to day challenges of severe allergies and anaphylaxis.
You will be required to source a venue, promote and facilitate a group at regular intervals throughout the year, 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. Our Outreach Coordinator 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.
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!
As a Community Volunteer, you will support us by distributing information locally within your community to raise awareness about the work of the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
This could include:
We constantly strive to increase awareness of our Campaign across the UK. Community Volunteering is essential to achieving this aim. If you feel you could spare the time to be a Community Volunteer, or if you have any questions please contact us.
As a small charity with a national reach, we need as many people as possible to support us in raising awareness of severe allergies and providing support in our communities.
If you feel that you have the time and experience to volunteer with us, please get in touch today!
Please note, to register as a volunteer, you must be over 18.
However, if you are under 18, there are also other great ways to raise awareness and fundraise for the Anaphylaxis Campaign with your parent or guardian’s consent. Please contact [email protected] for more information.
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].
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, please fill out this form and email it back to us.
Click here to read our Data Protection Policy.
Please read the Privacy Policy available on our website here to understand how we collect and use the information you give us. If you don’t wish us to use your information anymore, please contact our Volunteer Team via email [email protected], call 01252 893 862 or write to Anaphylaxis Campaign, 1 Alexandra Road, Farnborough, Hampshire, GU14 6BU.
When applying to become a volunteer, we will provide a copy of our Child Protection and Safeguarding Policy. This includes the principles that we always ask for consent from parents or guardians when using stories or pictures of children aged under 12 and routinely ask for consent from parents or guardians of children aged 12 to 18. We avoid using children’s full names in image captions and limit the amount of personal information we share about children aged under 18.
Click here to read our Volunteering Policy.
Click here to read our Volunteer Grievance Procedure.
If you would like to add your organisation to our list please read our links policy before sending your request to
our email.
A national charity established to represent the views and needs of people with allergy and food intolerance.
Their website
Charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.2 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma.
Their website
Coeliac UK is the leading charity working for people with coeliac disease and dermatitis herpetiformis (DH). We work to improve the lives of people
living with the condition through support, campaigning and research.
Volunteers from St.John Ambulance are well known for the thousands of hours they spend each year ensuring public events are safe, they are also the leading first aid training provider in the UK and the third largest youth organisation. For information on related training
click here for information on first aid for severe allergic reactions
click here.
The National Allergy Strategy Group (NASG) is an alliance of the professional organisation BSACI (British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology), the patient charities, Allergy UK (AUK), The Anaphylaxis Campaign (TAC) and the Allergy Alliance (AA) and industry partners. Since its formation in 2001, the NASG has worked, with others, to highlight the need for allergy services; the inadequate care available for allergy patients at all levels in the NHS and to improve NHS allergy services.
Their website
Education for Health is the largest international education and research charity that trains health professionals to make a real difference to the lives of patients with long term conditions. Educational programmes are run nationally and internationally and are accredited by the Open University.
Their website
An international umbrella organization whose members consist of 93 regional and national allergology and clinical immunology societies from around the world. By collaborating with member societies, WAO provides direct educational outreach programs, symposia and lectureships to members in nearly 100 countries around the globe.
Their website
MAARA, the Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association, is a registered charity based in the East Midlands. In addition to funding research, MAARA are committed to raising the profile of asthma and allergy conditions.
Their website
The only registered charity that provides life-saving identification systems for children and adults with hidden medical conditions, allergies and advance wishes.
Their website
Professional society of allergists and clinical immunologists, whose aim is to improve care — through education, training and research.
Their website
The FPIES Foundation
The FPIES Foundation is a collaborative effort of several families affected by FPIES whose journey has sparked the desire to help other families find their way. FPIES (Food Protein-induced Enterocolitis Syndrome) is a rare but severe type of food allergy affecting the gastrointestinal tract. It is often under recognized and poorly understood. The organization’s founders identified a dire need for tangible support resources for both the affected families and the medical community. The FPIES Foundation is committed to providing a credible and interactive support resource for this rare, oftentimes isolating diagnosis.
Their website
The chief aim of this page is to help people with allergies – particularly those who are newly diagnosed – to get to grips with the most important issues surrounding allergy, so that they can stay out of harm and treat any allergic reaction should it occur.
Research has provided strong evidence showing that the risks from allergy will be reduced if you follow a written care plan. A care plan will help you recognise when an allergic reaction has started and show you how to treat it. Your allergy clinic or GP may help you set this up, or the Anaphylaxis Campaign helpline can offer guidance (telephone 01252 542029 or email us).
The British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI) has also created a guide to writing a care plan to facilitate first aid treatment of anaphylaxis, to be delivered by people without any special medical training or equipment apart from access to an adrenaline auto-injector (AAI). For more information read about allergy action plans.
Care plans in settings such as schools should be reviewed every year.
Adrenaline is an important drug that is used in a number of emergency medical situations. It is the first line treatment for severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and is available on prescription in a pre-loaded injection device (known as an adrenaline auto-injector or AAI).
If you have been prescribed treatments for your allergy — such as injectable adrenaline — the golden rule is clear: carry it everywhere at all times, with no exceptions. It’s important to make sure others are aware of what to do when a reaction occurs, such as relatives, close friends and colleagues.
There are three adrenaline auto injectors (AAIs) available on prescription in the U.K. The manufacturers of all three offer trainer devices so people can learn how to use them.
Emerade® is the most recent single-use adrenaline auto-injector to become available. It has a needle guard to protect against needle stick injury. Visit www.emerade-bausch.co.uk.
EpiPen® has a spring-loaded concealed needle. The built-in needle protection keeps the needle covered during and after use. Visit www.epipen.co.uk.
Jext® has a locking needle shield which engages after use, designed to protect against needle injury. Visit www.jext.co.uk.
The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has advised that anyone who is at risk of suffering anaphylaxis should always have two adrenaline injector devices immediately available for use. Their report said: “It is acknowledged that in some cases, a single injection is not sufficient to achieve a response for a number of reasons, including severity of attack as well as the possibility that a dose has not been effectively administered; a second injection may therefore be needed”. The Anaphylaxis Campaign supports this view.
In cases where the risk of anaphylaxis is thought to be low, there is a difference of opinion among members of the medical community. While some doctors agree that two injectors must always be immediately available, in line with the MHRA report, others believe it is sufficient to have one device available, arguing that one injection is likely to be enough to treat the symptoms until emergency medical help arrives.
This is a matter that you should discuss thoroughly with your allergist.
If you have asthma as well as allergies, your asthma should be well controlled. Poorly-controlled asthma will raise the chances of any allergic reaction being severe. If your asthma needs more treatment than usual, you should take extreme care to avoid those foods or substances that might cause a reaction. You will also need to discuss your asthma with your GP.
If you or your child carries adrenaline, there are key messages you must remember:
For more information and advice please call our helpline on 01252 542029 or email our helpline team.
This article has been reviewed by Sue Clarke, who is nurse adviser to the Anaphylaxis Campaign.
All the information we produce is evidence based or follows expert opinion and is checked by our clinical and research reviewers. If you wish to know the sources we used in producing any of our information products, please let us know, and we will gladly supply details. Call our helpline (01252 542029) or email [email protected].
Publication date: August 2019
Review date: August 2022
