London
National Eczema Society hit the streets during National Eczema Week
 While events took place all around the UK to mark National Eczema Week, the Society organised two of its own and a member of staff did her own sponsored event.
First there was a collection at a Tesco store in Hendon. The charity’s Support Manager John Fuller and Society accountant Robert Kitchen were joined by volunteers Stuart Hadaway and Nina Burls (pictured) who braved the high winds and bracing temperatures to chat to shoppers and hand out stickers and balloons. The general public in North London kindly donated about £200 for the Society.
Staff from the Society including Chief Executive Margaret Cox and Membership & Database Officer Sheila Cumber (pictured) held an eczema stall complete with booklets, bric-a-brac and our fabulous range of NES Christmas cards.
Archway Market is a vibrant local market with food, artwork and book stalls and the Society enjoyed a successful day’s trading in North London.
NOVEMBER STALL....
The Society has since had a successful market stall at Archway Market where we sold a broad range of Society Christmas cards and other items and bric-a-brac. Chief Executive Margaret Cox was joined on the stall by Dermatology Nurse Lucy Reeves (pictured below) from the Whittington Hospital.
There was also a sponsored fast which one of the Society’s staff, Panna Vora, did to raise money during National Eczema Week. Her nine-day fast for a religious festival meant that Panna would not eat at all during the day and only have one evening meal. Her powers of restraint not only impressed everyone in the office but she has raised a fantastic £325 to date.
Whittington Hospital hosts Eczema Awareness Day
 The Whittington Hospital in Archway has a busy dermatology department seeing many people with eczema. Each year, Dermatology Nurse Lucy Reeves, who organises the North London skin support group, holds an event to coincide with National Eczema Week.
This year’s event proved to be the busiest ever. As well as offering free samples of creams and shower and bath emollients, Lucy was on hand to offer specialist advice - along with the National Eczema Society who attend annually to give out booklets and factsheets on eczema.
On hand were a number of volunteers while Consultant Dermatologist Dr Wakeel (pictured below with Lucy Reeves and John Fuller) came along to lend his support.
The North London dermatology support group, run from the Whittington Hospital meets every couple of months.
All those with an interest in eczema are very welcome. If you are London-based and suffer with eczema or are a carer for someone who does then it is a chance to meet both professionals and patients.
The group is run by Lucy Reeves, Clinical Nurse Specialist in Dermatology and meets at the BLUE AREA, Clinic 3B, Whittington Hospital. This is an excellent opportunity to get sound advice on your own eczema.
Leyton Orient pharmacy promotes eczema support
Another pharmacy (click HERE for Watford page) to mark National Eczema Week was the Leyton Orient pharmacy in East London. Trainee Pharmacist Nupur Shah did a stand with leaflets, posters and key facts about the condition. There were plenty of people interested in finding out more from parents of children with eczema to adults who suffer with it themselves.
Lord Mayor’s Show 2009
 The streets of London really are paved with gold for the National Eczema Society at this annual event as our team of fundraisers help to sell official programmes to members of the public who have gathered to witness the age-old spectacle.
Every programme sold raises £1 for the National Eczema Society, which means that every volunteer can make a genuine difference to the lives of those with eczema.
Each year this simple act raises thousands of pounds to support our work – and the more pairs of willing hands, the more programmes we can sell!
A big team from Guildford, masterminded by Helen Lovegrove, got drenched selling programmes at the wettest ever Lord Mayors Show. However, despite the weather, they still raised £1,200 for the Society! Come along as we aim to make 2009 the best year yet...
Review of the Allergy Show 2009
The Allergy and Gluten Free Show 2009 was for people with food allergies & intolerance, sensitive skin, eczema, asthma, hayfever and the health professionals who treat them. Each year, the National Eczema Society has a stand at the three-day event allowing members of the public to learn more about the Society does, take away some of information on eczema or join up as members.
This year’s event in mid-June was again held at Olympia in West London and the Society had a particularly successful show. This was in terms of the popularity of the Society stand with plenty of advice on all aspects of eczema given out including our factsheets and booklets. Also, it was good to see current and previous members come along to meet the charity’s staff and volunteers as well as a noticeable boost in attendees joining up on the day of visiting. T-shirts, teddies and badges all proved popular and helped raise valuable funds. Our heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who helped run our stand and all those members of the public we talked to - see you next year!
Hypnotherapy and eczema
 Leading Master Clinical Hypnotherapist and NLP Practitioner, Monica Black has helped many people overcome the knock-on effects of eczema through hypnotherapy - in particular helping with the common psychological and physical symptoms presented by eczema e.g. pain management, relaxation and overcoming the stress caused by living with the condition.
Hypnotherapy when used for eczema sufferers is an extremely helpful tool and aims to allow the sufferer to take control of any itching, discomfort and pain and everything else that goes with eczema, such as stress, self confidence, low self-esteem, anxiety and any fears or phobias that arise as a ‘by-product’ of the illness. Many people with skin disorders often have a negative body image and so they get themselves into a vicious cycle where their stress and negative emotions can drive their skin condition.
Hypnotherapy has been proven to be most effective when used for both Chronic and Acute pain relief, discomfort and itching.
Monica is working with The National Eczema Society and offers both individual and group hypnotherapy sessions. For further information call 020 7419 2211 or visit www.hampsteadhypnotherapy.com.
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