The National Trust Joins Coeliac UK To Raise Awareness Of Coeliac Disease

Main Category: GastroIntestinal / Gastroenterology
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 05 Feb 2009 - 3:00 PDT

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Coeliac UK, the national charity that supports people with coeliac disease, today, 4th February 2009, launches its new partnership with the National Trust for its latest campaign, 'Free for Tea?'

The campaign is designed to raise awareness about coeliac disease - a serious lifelong autoimmune disease triggered by eating gluten - and the consequences of maintaining a strict gluten-free diet when eating out.

Throughout May, a number (to be confirmed)¹ of the 150 National Trust tea shops, cafes and restaurants will lead the way in supporting Coeliac UK's 'Free for Tea?' - providing information on the condition and gluten-free options on their menus. Over 15 million people visit National Trust properties every year and it is expected that the campaign will reach thousands of visitors by the end of May.

The only treatment for coeliac disease is to keep gluten out of the diet. However, gluten - found in wheat, barley and rye - is found in many foods especially prepared meals. This makes eating out particularly difficult for people with the condition.

Without keeping to a strict gluten-free diet for life, the condition can lead to serious ill health and other major conditions, such as infertility, osteoporosis and bowel cancer.

A recent survey² of over 3,000 Coeliac UK Members showed that over 58% felt that eating establishments do not offer clear gluten-free options, and 59% don't trust staff to know enough about preparing gluten-free food.

Lynda Brewer, Catering Development Manager for the National Trust said: 'Supporting Coeliac UK's 'Free for Tea?' campaign is a natural partnership for us. We are proud of the food we serve at our sites and it is important to us that we make everyone who visits us feel welcome and able to eat in our venues. The National Trust has already led the way on many food issues, such as promoting local, seasonal food and using freedom food, free range eggs in all our cafes and restaurants. We see this campaign as a great opportunity to help support a very important message to dispel the ignorance and misunderstanding surrounding coeliac disease.'

Sarah Sleet, Chief Executive, of Coeliac UK said: 'For many people, going out for tea is synonymous without going to their local National Trust property; so we are thrilled that the National Trust has been keen to support our campaign.'

'1% of the UK population has coeliac disease and the need for catering outlets to offer gluten-free options on their menus is ever increasing. It's also a great way to increase the number of customers eating out which can only be a good thing in tough trading conditions. We hope that others will follow the National Trust's lead and embrace the needs of people with coeliac disease who will then be able to eat out safely and with added choice,' she added.

The awareness campaign will run throughout May, with Coeliac UK holding a specific Awareness Week from 11th -17th May.

References

¹ Individual properties will be deciding how they will participate in the campaign and listings will be available on the National Trust website and on the Coeliac UK website over the coming months.
² Statistics taken from a survey of over 3000 Coeliac UK members, December 2008

Notes

1. 1 in 100 people in the UK has coeliac disease, however only 12.5% of these have been diagnosed and average length of diagnosis is 13 years.

2. A range of case studies of men, women and children are available on request from Coeliac UK.

3. Members of Coeliac UK receive an annual Food and Drink Directory, which lists thousands of foods people with coeliac disease can eat.

4. Gluten is a protein found in wheat (including spelt), rye and barley. Some people are also sensitive to oats. Obvious sources of gluten include breads, pastas, flours, cereals, cakes and biscuits. It is often used as an ingredient in many favourite foods such as fish fingers, sausages, gravies, sauces and soy sauce.

5. The symptoms of coeliac disease range from mild to severe and can vary between individuals. Not everyone with coeliac disease experiences gut related symptoms; any area of the body can be affected.

6. Symptoms can include bloating, abdominal pain, nausea, constipation, diarrhoea, wind, tiredness, anaemia, headaches, mouth ulcers, recurrent miscarriages, weight loss (but not in all cases), skin problems, depression, joint or bone pain and nerve problems.

7. Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH) is a skin presentation of coeliac disease, estimated to affect 1 in 10,000 people. People with DH react to gluten by developing itchy, red raised patches, often with blisters that burst with scratching. Elbows, knees and buttocks are most commonly affected, but any area of skin can be affected. Even though they may not have gut related symptoms, most people with DH have the same kind of gut damage as seen in typical coeliac disease.

8. Around 900 newly diagnosed people are joining Coeliac UK every month. For further details on membership please call the helpline on 0870 444 8804 further information can be found at http://www.coeliac.org.uk

Information from National Trust

The National Trust is Europe's biggest conservation organisation and looks after special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland for ever, for everyone. People and places are at the heart of everything it does.

Over 3.5 million members, over 52,000 volunteers, 500,000 school children, and millions of visitors, donors and supporters help the Trust look after 300 historic houses and gardens, 700 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of open countryside.

Find more out about the Trust and food at http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/food

Kate Newman
PR Consultant, Coeliac UK
http://www.coeliac.org.uk

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