Help Put Asthma In The Limelight! UK

Main Category: Respiratory / Asthma
Article Date: 22 Apr 2009 - 6:00 PDT

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It's not too late to get involved in Asthma UK's first ever fundraising week called Putting Asthma in the Limelight running from 2 - 10 May.

We're raising money to support over a million children with asthma, particularly those who miss out at school or feel excluded by their asthma and are encouraging everyone to get involved. There are several fun ways to help, from being sponsored to wear something lime, selling some lime coloured/flavoured food and drink or by putting yourself in the limelight by organising a fundraising event. So if you're interested don't delay and request a fundraising pack at http://www.asthma.org.uk/limelight.

A number of celebrities who suffer from asthma have got behind the campaign, including Bill Bailey, Frank Lampard, Stephen Fry, Cerys Mathews plus creative soap queen Tina Baker, who got in the spirit and wrote the following cheeky limerick about herself:

There was a young lady who wheezed,
Who could never go out in a freeze,
She gasped like Darth Vader,
'Til she used her inhaler,
Now she finds exercise is a breeze

However you choose to help put asthma in the limelight, money raised will go towards our services to help children. These include our life-changing Kick Asthma holidays which empower children with asthma to take control of their condition; our plans to fund asthma nurses working with children and our Alert to Asthma sessions which train early years carers and primary school teachers how to support children with asthma.

The fundraising week will also take advantage of World Asthma Day on Tuesday 5 May to raise awareness of the problems children with asthma face. We'll be highlighting the need for better support for children with asthma in parliaments across the UK on World Asthma Day and will be issuing a report on what children say about their experiences.

Notes

1. Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma.

2. Asthma is the most common childhood condition in the UK. One in eleven children is affected and a quarter of children with asthma miss over a week of school each year because of the condition.

3. For up-to-date news on asthma, information and publications, visit the Asthma UK website http://www.asthma.org.uk.

4. For independent and confidential advice on asthma, call the Asthma UK Adviceline, which is staffed by asthma nurse specialists. It is open weekdays from 9am to 5pm on 0800 121 62 44. Or email an asthma nurse at http://www.asthma.org.uk/adviceline.

Source
Asthma UK

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