Our Work | ARL
With allergies on the rise, our work has never been more important
Allergies are on the rise, and by 2026, it is predicted that 1 in 2 people in Europe will be affected. With the UK ranking in the top three globally for allergy incidence, over five million people are now requiring specialist care for their condition. This increasing prevalence places a significant strain on an already overstretched healthcare system, with more children being born with allergies and the quality of life for many at risk.
Allergy is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception. Yet many people do not fully understand the serious risk to life it carries, or the isolation and anxiety it brings. Major gaps in the healthcare service leave many waiting from six to 18 months to receive the specialist care they desperately need to manage their condition adequately.
Allergy UK is here to help address these unmet needs of the allergic community through the resources we provide, our Helpline, our awareness raising efforts and our campaign work.
The work we do which is supported by corporate partner funding can help to transform lives. But there is still so much more we need to do. With your support, we can together create a safer more inclusive world, empowering everyone with allergies to live their life to the fullest.
Corporate partner funding has supported over 150 projects, creating new resources and tools designed to support and empower families living with allergy. Here’s just a glimpse into our extensive work:
Funding has been instrumental to the development of our Parent Pathways digital hub, offering essential resources to parents and carers of children living with allergies. Aimed at those caring for children aged five to 25, this resource addresses the common challenges throughout each transitional phase and provides information, advice, and tools to help parents and carers empower their children to live independently with their allergies. The hub received 100 views within its first week of going live in 2023 and continues to be a highly valued and frequently visited resource.
Love this ♥ my daughter is only 2 yrs but already is noticing what others around her have & wants that. So, knowing we can be prepared for when she can be more independent lessens the stress already. Thank you ♥
Since 2015, with ongoing funding from our corporate partners, we have been able to provide one-to-one appointments with a specialist paediatric dietitian to families with children under-five, who are waiting on NHS referrals for their child’s suspected food allergies.
Thank you – my conversation with the dietitian was reassuring and informative and has given me confidence with weaning while I wait for our referral for allergy testing. Brilliant service from Allergy UK!
Our written resources for parents and carers of babies with allergy have proved to be incredibly valuable to our beneficiaries. Both our digital Weaning Pack (launched 2020) and our Cow’s Milk Allergy Roadmap (launched 2022) would have not been possible without the funding and support of a number of dedicated organisations and individuals. These are our most viewed resources and continue to be passed on to parents and carers who call our Helpline for support with their child’s food allergy.
Our acclaimed Masterclasses for healthcare professionals are fully funded by our corporate partners. They aim to enhance primary care practitioners’ understanding of allergy, enabling better patient care. Topics are chosen based on feedback from the allergic community via our Helpline and past attendees. In 2022/23 we received over 1,600 registrations to attend.
Since 2011, HayMax has held our Allergy Friendly Product Award for providing an effective, drug-free hay fever solution, especially beneficial to children and pregnant or breastfeeding parents. As a valued corporate partner, over these years HayMax has supported our work with a bespoke sponsorship package and collaborated on research to understand the impact of hay fever for people affected.
Our Helpline is our most utilised patient service, serving as a lifeline for many for parents, caregivers and individuals navigating life with allergies. In addition to the Helpline, we offer an in-house dietitian service for those who do not qualify for the paediatric dietitian service, and an eczema clinic, both managed by our Clinical team with referrals made through the Helpline. These services have been made possible through third-party funding.
To further empower the allergic community, our product endorsement schemes, including the Seal of Approval and Allergy Friendly Product Award, enable individuals to make informed choices when purchasing products and appliances to manage or improve their lives with allergies.
In 2022 we were finally able to implement initiatives that were held up while the world adjusted to Covid-19. This included launching our “It’s Time to Take Allergy Seriously” campaign, created from the voices of people living with allergy through our research activities undertaken the previous year.
Over this period, we faced many challenges, not least recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, which impacted every aspect of our work but, despite that, the year was exciting and hugely rewarding for Allergy UK.
"I cannot thank Allergy UK and the staff I have dealt with enough. I was in despair trying to support my baby son with severe eczema and allergies. I received minimal support from the GP and am faced with over a 6 month wait for a specialist dermatology appointment for him. Trying to navigate through the vast minefield of conflicting information available online regarding childhood eczema and allergies was just impossible whilst juggling looking after young children. I didn't know what to do for the best. The appointment I had with the dietitian through Allergy UK absolutely changed our lives. The dietitian was so supportive and gave clear advice and an action plan. They were able to answer all the questions I had, and I felt so much more confident with how to manage my son's allergies. We have managed to safely introduce back in some foods into his diet that we were previously avoiding. His eczema has also improved following implementation of advice given. Again, I cannot thank the team enough for their support. Please, please keep providing this service to families who need it.” (Parent who accessed our paediatric dietitian service)