After three and a half years on the Alopecia UK Trustee Board, Karen Green has decided it is time to step down. We asked Karen to reflect upon her time as Trustee..

"10 years ago, my hair started to fall out and within a few weeks I was completely bald.  At the time, I wrongly assumed that a visit to the doctors, together with some lotions and potions, would resolve the problem.  Little did I realise that not only was there no cure, but also there was minimal research into this condition.  Added to this there was also very little in the way of support and patient care.

I decided to do my own research and after months of surfing the internet, I came across a young woman, Jayne Waddell, who had written a blog about dealing with alopecia.  When I contacted her, I discovered that she wanted to set up an alopecia research charity and I agreed to support her.  Autoimmune Alopecia Research UK was born (AAR-UK) and under her Chairmanship we went from strength to strength.

Three years later in 2017, AAR-UK was approached by Alopecia UK to combine resources and subsequently the two charities merged.  AAR-UK were able to bring their research projects, funding and knowledge and combine it with Alopecia UK's.  AUK also agreed to increase their funding and support within this area also.

Another 3 years further on and we now have a permanent Research Manager and a Research Committee of experts (which I have been a member of) who, between them, manage the process of bid selection and ongoing research projects.  I believe that we are the leading Alopecia Charity within Europe for Support, Awareness and Research.

It has been an honour to be part of this evolving charity and I feel very proud of what we have achieved.  I have never before met such a group of hardworking and committed individuals.  We have recently appointed a new group of trustees to join the team, who I am sure will bring additional energy and experience to the charity.

I have decided now is a good time to step aside from my role as a trustee and I will continue to support Alopecia UK whenever I can.  I hope that the charity will continue to go from strength to strength, and I wish the team all the very best for the future."

A HUGE thank you to Karen for all the time and energy she has given to Alopecia UK. We wish her all the best.