About us What we do What we do Alopecia UK is a small national charity working to improve the lives of those affected by alopecia through aims of Support, Awareness and Research. Despite being a small charity we are still the largest alopecia charity in the UK with big ambitions to develop and grow further. Alopecia UK was founded in 2004 and registered with the Charity Commission of England & Wales in September 2005. Registration with the Scottish Charity Regulator took place in February 2014. Our Vision A world without alopecia or a world in which people with alopecia live the life they want with confidence. Our Mission To improve the lives of those affected by alopecia. Aims & Workstreams Support: Our aim - we will provide impartial information, advice and support to help people feel less isolated. We do this through: Providing a website packed full of useful information and advice, including news and blogs Facilitating online peer support groups, including four private Facebook Groups Facilitating a nationwide network of volunteer-led peer support groups across the UK for children, teenagers and adults Creating supportive resources such as our 'A Little Bit of Everything About Alopecia' booklet and our 'Schools Pack'. Organising regional and national events Individual support is provided to those who contact the charity via email, telephone and social media; queries range from questions about wig provision, lack of understanding from GPs or family members, how to help children with alopecia and questions about diagnosis, treatments and prognosis Awareness: Our aim - we will raise awareness to the general public and healthcare professionals about alopecia and its psychological impact. We do this through: Promoting awareness to medical professionals We attend conferences, both with stalls and as speakers, engaging with medical professionals to highlight the patient experience of alopecia with an aim to increase understanding and empathy We have developed an education module with the Royal College of General Practitioners, specifically for GPs, in order to enable more GPs to improve upon their knowledge and understanding of alopecia We have worked with organisations to create a Charter for Best Practice for NHS Wig Provision to help tackle the disparity in wig provision and ensure people can access the wigs they need Promoting awareness to the general public We support media requests about alopecia (including TV, newspaper, magazine and radio opportunities) by finding participants to take part or one of the charity staff team taking part directly We facilitate active and engaging social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter and Instagram We develop and sell merchandise through our online shop We develop, sell and distribute children’s story books to increase understanding of alopecia within the Primary School age group We work with our ambassadors to raise the profile of both the charity and also alopecia We facilitate large scale national events whereby large groups of people attend to raise awareness of alopecia in public spaces e.g. our annual trip to Alton Towers Research: Our aim - we will provide hope and confidence to people with alopecia by funding research into its causes, with the aim of finding treatments, and ultimately, a cure. We do this through: Having a Research Committee made up of scientists, researchers, clinicians, pharma representatives, psychologists, and patient representatives to provide a Research Strategy for the charity to work to in 2019 and beyond Providing funding for small scale research projects Supporting researchers to find participants for their research studies Supporting an alopecia biobank through funding sample collection Our Values To be open, honest and act with integrity To work productively in partnership with others To be passionate and motivated to make a change To appreciate the skills, expertise and commitment of our Staff, Trustees and Volunteers, many of whom have personal experience of alopecia To see our latest annual report and accounts click here To see our 2021-2024 Strategy and 2021 Delivery Plan click here