Crossed Grain

2 | SUPPORTER NEWS Celebrating 10 years of commitment to gluten free food safety! 2023 will mark the 10 year anniversary of the Coeliac UK Gluten Free Accreditation Scheme and we’ll be celebrating this major milestone throughout the year with various activity. The accreditation scheme alongside the use of our recognised and trusted GF trademark symbol provides customers on a gluten free diet assurance that they can enjoy safe gluten free dining. Our accreditation scheme is used across all catering environments including restaurants, hospitals, schools and more. Keep an eye on our website and social media channels for more information! Last year Coeliac UK helped re-establish an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on coeliac disease in the Houses of Parliament. Made up of MPs and peers from across the political spectrum, the group meets regularly to investigate, understand and drive positive policy change for the coeliac community. The group has now announced the launch of an inquiry into the challenge of lack of diagnosis and misdiagnosis of the condition. Despite 1 in 100 people having coeliac disease, around two thirds of those with the condition in the UK remain undiagnosed. In turn, it takes an adult an average of 13 years to get a diagnosis from onset of symptoms. As secretariat of the group, Coeliac UK will be playing a central role in supporting the inquiry, helping identify key stakeholders and supporting evidence, something we can only do thanks to your ongoing support. Over the coming months, the APPG will be holding a series of evidence sessions with experts, investigating the barriers to successful, speedy diagnosis. This will culminate in the publication of a final report this summer detailing the group’s findings and recommendations, which will be shared with ministers and senior civil servants. We look forward to the inquiry shining a light on the challenges facing those with undiagnosed and misdiagnosed coeliac disease. Through this work we aim to help secure policy change to reduce the time to diagnosis and find the estimated half a million people as yet undiagnosed, across the UK. It’s your support that makes our advocacy work possible. Thank you to everyone who has shared their story so far. We would love to hear about your experiences with coeliac disease, especially if you live in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland as we continue our work and impact within Westminster and the devolved parliaments Find out more about our campaigning work here: www.coeliac.org.uk/your-voice-in-parliament Campaigning update: Diagnosis inquiry launched in Parliament Running with a purpose Your incredible fundraising efforts when taking on a challenge can make a huge difference in supporting those who need to live gluten free, and there are few bigger charity challenges than running the London Marathon. We caught up with Claudia Andrews who is running the London Marathon for Team Coeliac UK this year, to find out her motivations and we couldn’t feel more inspired! “On 31 December 2021, my younger brother was diagnosed with coeliac disease. After a very long year of him being unwell, we felt relieved but slightly overwhelmed with the difference this meant we needed to make as a family, to ensure he was living a gluten free life. Coeliac UK is an organisation I feel very passionate about. Running in the London Marathon has always been a dream of mine and now having a purpose to run and knowing that I will be making a difference to help people live better lives, is something I feel extremely passionate about.” Good luck Claudia! We’ll be behind you and all the other superstars running for Team Coeliac UK as you face this huge challenge and raise funds to support others who need to live gluten free. If you’d like to get involved with completing a challenge or fundraising for Coeliac UK, visit www.coeliac.org.uk/fundraise or contact fundraising@coeliac.org.uk Claudia Andrews, Team Coeliac UK London Marathon runner