Each September we encourage our community to get involved with Alopecia Awareness Month; 30 days dedicated to raising awareness of alopecia. 

September 2023 did not disappoint with more than 30 fabulous folks signing up to be Charity Champions! Not only did they raise lots of awareness with their activities in Alopecia Awareness Month, they also managed to raise over £25,000 (including Gift Aid) for Alopecia UK! 

Many of our Charity Champions and fundraisers set themselves challenges to undertake during September including, star-jumping, skipping, cycling, swimming, running, walking, hair-cuts and head-shaves. We also had people host fundraising events, collections and cake sales. We always love to see a wide-variety of fundraising and awareness activity and this year was no different. 

We also had people speaking in schools and workplaces, as well as posting to their social media. 

Speaking of social media, Alopecia UK put out more than 600 posts from our Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, reaching hundreds of thousands of people with a theme of #AUKHeaducation. Part of our content for September included more than 30 people from within the alopecia community sharing their 'One thing I want everyone to know about alopecia'. 'Things' included: 

"Alopecia can make someone feel less spontaneous. 'Just popping out', waking up in a new place, or jumping in the pool all feel much harder when you are conscious and anxious of your patches being on show."

"It is cool to have wigs as part of your wardrobe. As you do for jewellery, you can decide what hair style and colour best matches today's outfit."

"Alopecia does not define us; it merely adds another layer to our wonderful and complex stories."

"Despite ongoing research and promising advancements in treatment options, there are still no licensed treatments available on the NHS for alopecia areata. Fair and equal access to these treatments needs to be made available on the NHS for those who wish to have the option to try them."

"It's not contagious!"

"Alopecia is a journey that will test your emotions, your bravery, and the love you have for yourself. However, this journey will make you stronger and braver than ever and teach you a new level of appreciation towards yourself."

"It's not just hair. By raising awareness of the true impact of alopecia, we can improve experiences of health care."

As you can see, we had a wide variety of quotes shared by people of all ages and experiences. You can read them all by scrolling back through our social media posts from last month. 

For Alopecia UK, alopecia awareness is not just something practiced in September. We will continue to raise awareness of the psychological impact of alopecia, and advocate for both fair treatment pathways and living well with alopecia, all year round. 

The funds raised in September have provided a much-needed boost to our income, in a year which continues to be tough for small charities like Alopecia UK. The cost-of-living crisis presents a difficult climate for fundraising. We continue to look for new regular donors to support our work.

If you can afford to give a monthly gift to Alopecia UK, however small, we would be very grateful to have your support. Thank you.

Create your monthly gift to Alopecia UK today