The Wren Project Charity Cycle Ride 2021

On the first weekend of September 2021, I am participating in 'The Wren Project Charity Cycle Ride 2021' where we'll be cycling the Trafalgar way in 2 days! The route is over 500km in length and includes more than 5,000m of climbing; more than half the height of Everest! I am riding in support of the Wren Project and your donations will be the only thing keeping me in the saddle!!

https://ridethetrafalgarway.com/about/the-route

The Wren Project offers free, ongoing, one to one, listening support to people with autoimmune disease in the UK. 

Autoimmune diseases are complex, unexplained, & hugely diverse. Medically little connects Lupus to Alopecia, Crohn's to Psoriasis, but the emotional upheaval & social impact of a diagnosis is similar, despite the differences in that diagnosis.

The Wren Project responds to the emotional challenges caused by a diagnosis of autoimmune disease. Highly trained volunteers offer 1-1 listening, psychosocial, and befriending support. We listen, without offering judgement or giving advice. We listen, providing space for individuals to feel heard as they navigate a new diagnosis. We believe there is power in listening.

In the UK, 6%, or 4 million people, are known to live with at least one autoimmune condition. There are over 80 identified autoimmune diseases, with incidence rising by 3 - 9% each year. The social costs of autoimmune disease are huge; just three (type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis) cost the UK more than £13 billion a year.

Covid 19 has left no-one untouched, but its impact on individuals with autoimmune diseases is physically and emotionally acute. A study into the impact of Covid-19 on people with rare autoimmune diseases shows that 52% of respondents were shielding, 32% had received no information from doctors, and 80% had experienced changes in their care and treatment. Personal accounts speak of the confusion, uncertainty, fear, and above all the sense of abandonment from conflicting, inconsistent, or absent information about risk and care plans. 

The Wren Project is a new registered charity, supporting people diagnosed with autoimmune disease in England and Wales. Your donation makes our work possible.