Alopecia UK - Charity

Did you know today is International Self-Care Day?
We have a page on our website all about how to practice self-care: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/how-to-practice-self-care

What are your top self-care tips? 💙

🎭 Join Our Online Playwriting Workshop! 🎭

Come and join us for a wonderful evening learning playwriting techniques that will help you find your voice and gain confidence in your own writing.

Date: 29th August
Time: 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

This workshop is hosted by Emily Glaze. Emily is a writer and performer who has championed those with physical and visible differences since developing alopecia at 21.

Register your space using the link below.

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/alopecia-uk-playwriting-workshop-for-adults-online

A huge thank you to Love Pop Choir Saltaire for raising £770 for Alopecia UK, with a fundraising raffle at their Summer charity gig last Sunday. Special shoutout to choir leader Shane who hosted one of his popular Singo sessions too!
Thank you to all involved 💙

Join us in congratulating Ellie who has raised £221.71 for Alopecia UK with a 'Wear a Hat to School Day'. She even addressed her whole school about her alopecia, having worn a cap since February 2023, including a Q&A session.

Ellie was helped and encouraged by the resources in our Schools Pack. 💙

Well done Ellie! Thank you for being such a star! ⭐

Join us for an inspiring evening at our next Alopecia UK Youth Network online workshop.
📆 Thursday 8th August 2024
⏰ 7.30pm – 8.30pm
👉 Short Film Workshop
👋Suitable for: Young people, aged 13 – 17, with alopecia, living in the UK
📍 Location: Online
Sign up here: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/alopecia-uk-youth-network-short-film-workshop-online

Our Communications Manager is hoping for an England victory later today. If England win, Amy has pledged to donate £10 to AUK for every England goal scored* to celebrate the momentous win. Anyone else wanting to join her in that pledge? ⚽

She's hoping for a 3-0 win against Spain (quite the optimist!).

*goals scored before any penalty shootout (which it will hopefully NOT come to!)

When you become a regular donor, you don't just support our charity - you become an ally in our mission to improve the lives of those affected by alopecia.

If we have helped you in the past, please consider becoming an AUK ally today: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Appeal/be-an-auk-ally 💙

Not long left to get your nominations in for our 2024 Hannah Dennis Alopecia Awareness Award. Know a young person aged 3-23 who deserves to be recognised for their alopecia awareness efforts? You have until Monday 29th July to nominate them!
https://www.alopecia.org.uk/news/hannah-dennis-alopecia-awareness-award-2024-nominations-open

"I wish I could go back to that day 14 years ago and tell myself that it would be ok. That actually, this might be the making of me. That alopecia would bring wonderful experiences and people into my life. That I would one day be able to feel happy and confident with my bald head, even if to begin with I could barely look in the mirror."

Check out the latest blog from our Communications Manager Amy on the 14th anniversary of her first headshave: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/blog/another-alopecia-anniversary-comes-around

📅 Last day to register for our annual family residential weekend 📅

Sign up now and get ready to create memories, forge friendships and celebrate the strength within our community.

If your child is aged between 7-17, join us at Kingswood Activity Centre in Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire on 16th – 18th August for an unforgettable weekend. Register using the link below.

Don't miss out, registration closes tomorrow!

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/family-residential-weekend-kingswood-activity-centre-2024

See you there!

Well done to Magic and Planet Rock DJ Jen Thomas who has an alopecia awareness article in today's copy of Metro. In the article, Jen talks about her love of wigs and her shows off some of her colourful collection!

It's that time of year again! We are back at the annual meeting of the British Association of Dermatologists, raising awareness of all things alopecia. Trustee Lynn and CEO Sue will be talking about our work and how we can help both dermatologists and patients.

Last chance to join us at our Family Residential Weekend at Kingswood Activity Centre from 16th-18th August. Tickets close this Friday (5th) so if you would like to join us, book your place now: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/family-residential-weekend-kingswood-activity-centre-2024

We can't wait for another fantastic weekend! 💙

Do you have questions about alopecia? Are you wanting to find out more? Head to Alopecia UK's website and you can learn a lot in just half an hour of browsing our pages 💙

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/

Don't miss out on the Alopecia UK Kayaking Afternoon for Under 17's! 🌊

Join Alopecia UK for an afternoon of kayaking at Debdale Outdoor Centre, Manchester.

Come along on 6th July from 1pm – 4pm for an exciting day out on the water. Our team of qualified instructors will help them enjoy and master kayaking, build confidence and make new friends. 💙

📅 Registration closes on Monday, so make sure to sign up over the weekend for a fun day on the water. Head to the link below to register your space.

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/teens-kayaking-afternoon-manchester

Some of our community really do go 'above' and beyond to raise funds and awareness for Alopecia UK. Congratulations, and huge thanks, to Molly who has raised over £1,100 with her recent skydive. We LOVE this action shot! 💙

When Alopecia UK's Communications Manager got her first ever henna crown, it just HAD to have the Alopecia UK logo in it! 💙💙💙

Sending hugs to anyone disappointed by the 2025 London Marathon ballot. Our CEO Sue, and Ops Manager Matt, are amongst those who didn't manage to get a place. But both will be exploring what other challenge events they can do next year!

To anyone wondering, we are unable to get any charity places either - we wish we could! But even more reason to support a small charity like Alopecia UK 💙

Find other events here: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/join-a-challenge-event

Just over two weeks left to get your tickets!

It’s almost time for our annual residential weekend at Kingswood! 🎊💙

Get ready for an unforgettable weekend filled with adventure as we come together with our amazing alopecia community.

The excitement is building, and we can’t wait to see all of your smiling faces soon! From thrilling activities to heartwarming moments, this weekend promises to be nothing short of special.

If your child is aged between 7-17, then join us for at Kingswood Activity Centre in Dearne Valley, South Yorkshire on 16th – 18th August. register by clicking the link below

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/family-residential-weekend-kingswood-activity-centre-2024

Get ready to create memories, forge friendships and celebrate the strength within our community.

See you there!

HUGE congratulations to Robyn who took part in the Parish Walk at the weekend. Robyn walked 32 and a half miles and raised over £600 for Alopecia UK in the process! Well done Robyn - thank you!

If you would like to take on a fundraising challenge for Alopecia UK, no matter how big or small, we would LOVE to have your support: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Listing/Category/fundraise

We're often asked what to expect from a dermatology appointment, and what questions to ask. To help, we've created a new page in our 'Advocate for yourself' section of our website called 'How to get the most out of a dermatology appointment'.
Read here: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-a-dermatology-appointment

Final countdown to the Saha fundraising event in aid of Alopecia UK next week. Looks like it will be a fantastic night of music.
Tickets still available if you would like to support: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/news/saha-the-joy-of-togetherness

⭐🌊 Join us for fun afternoon of kayaking - now open to all ages! 🌊⭐

Join Alopecia UK for an afternoon of kayaking at Debdale Outdoor Centre, Manchester. Come along on 6th July from 1pm – 4pm for an exciting day out on the water.

Whether you're a seasoned paddler or a complete beginner, this is a fantastic opportunity to have fun, make new friends, and enjoy the great outdoors. This event is now open to all ages and suitable for children and teens with alopecia under 17.

To register your spot visit the link below. Registration is open until 1st July.

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/teens-kayaking-afternoon-manchester

"I was so self-conscious up until my early 20s. I used to be frightened that people would know I was wearing a wig, and I'd be terrified someone would try to take it off my head. I don't know how it happened but one day I kind of just... stopped caring. I started telling everyone I met that I had alopecia. I hoped they would ask me questions – some would. Some would be amazed and tell me they had no clue, others would shy from the subject.

I used to think that people were looking at me and wondering what was “off”. Was it my lack of eyebrows or eyelashes? Was it obvious I had a wig on? I think that by telling people about my condition it made me feel in control, as they'd no longer be guessing what was going on."

The latest blog on our website is from Sam who has had alopecia areata since she was 8 years old. Read her blog here: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/blog/i-am-what-i-am

"Given how helpless we felt before becoming engaged with the charity and using their resources to help pick our way through a minefield of topics from: how to handle emotional challenges with children suffering from alopecia, how to approach communication with school, guides to wigs, and everything in-between; I now want to help where I can!"

In the latest blog on our website, Neil shares his experience of being a parent of a daughter with alopecia, and why he's chosen to support Alopecia UK by signing up to MANY running events. Check out his blog here: https://www.alopecia.org.uk/blog/neil-goes-the-distance-for-alopecia-uk

It may only be June but, for our Communications Manager, September is fast-approaching. Amy is on the search for people who are willing to help with awareness and fundraising this Alopecia Awareness Month. If you think you can help, please register your interest:
https://www.alopecia.org.uk/forms/get-involved-this-september-in-alopecia-awareness-month-expression-of-interest-form

🌊🚣‍♂️ Get ready for a fun afternoon of kayaking at Debdale Outdoor Centre on 6th July 2024! 🌞

Whether your teen is a total newbie or a kayaking pro, come along and join us as our expert instructors help improve their paddling skills.

This exciting event is open to teens with Alopecia aged 13-17 and their siblings.

Registration closes in 3 weeks so don’t miss out on the fun—register for free following the link below. 🛶

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/Event/teens-kayaking-afternoon-manchester

With the Euro 2024 tournament due to kick-off this week, we've pulled together some sweepstake resources to make it easy to do a little fundraising! Consider asking friends, family or colleagues to get involved!

https://www.alopecia.org.uk/news/euros-sweepstake