About the London and South Region

A few facts about the London and South Region:

• It covers a population of 20.7 million people.
• Around 2.7 million people within the region have a lung disease.
• There are now around 80 ‘Breathe Easy’ support and information groups across the region. These are for anyone affected by a lung condition, including patients, carers, family and friends.
• The region boasts some of the oldest Breathe Easy Groups in the UK. Groups in Basildon, Buckinghamshire, Merton & Sutton, Middlesex and Romsey for instance have all provided excellent support now for over 15 years!

The purpose of the London and South Region is to:

• Establish new Breathe Easy groups and help existing groups grow and provide a relevant and enjoyable programme for members.
• Raise awareness of issues of lung health within our local communities through participation in a wide variety of events.
• Work with primary care trusts and other NHS bodies to raise the profile of lung disease and improve health care and services for patients with lung conditions.

Highlights from the past year:

World COPD Day:

Wednesday 17 November was ‘World COPD Day’, the day on which different groups and organisations from across the world raise awareness of the condition Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and chronic asthma).
Breathe Easy groups across the country were out in their local communities doing a fantastic job raising awareness of COPD. The London and South team were out at as many as possible. A big thank you to everyone who took part and helped to make the day such a success!
Pictured here is the Saffron Walden awareness stand, which also included a cake stall and tombola in Saffron Walden Community Hospital - no one managed to leave the hospital without thinking about their lungs and having a go on the tombola! It was great! And to top it all off, the group raised a very impressive £300!

Breathe Easy Week:

Breathe Easy groups and Healthcare professionals put on an amazing 50 events within the London and South Region to raise awareness during Breathe Easy Week (14-20 June 2010).

Events included Breathe Easy Redhill and Reigate’s awareness stand where they got 12 pages of signatures in support of the BLF’s Children’s Charter Campaign, a fundraising Country and Western night by Breathe Easy Ashford & Tenterden and Breathe Easy Paddington’s Fun Day (opposite), awareness stand and sponsored walk which raised £1200!

Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness Week:

We have worked with representatives from a number of charities including Macmillan, Breast Cancer Care and the Prostate Cancer Charity, to organize a national week of awareness raising surrounding cancer amongst ethnic minority groups.

The highlight of the week was an event in Haringey, which included 15 information stands, discussion forums, a speech by the Mayor of Haringey, a football training session by a Spurs Coach, free Indian and Jamaican food, a great kids activities and face-painting area, Indian dancing and international music!

Camden COPD Awareness Event:

Breathe Easy Camden, Camden PCT and British Lung Foundation staff worked together to put on a COPD Awareness Day on 11 June in Euston. Around 150 patients attended the day and found it to be of huge benefit, with seminars, information stands, one to one’s with a GP and Tai Chi.

Networking Days:

The London and South team hosted 5 Networking and Training days in April 2010, to which 70 Breathe Easy Committee members came.

The groups brought posters celebrating all they had done over the previous year (pictured opposite), which were an inspiration to other groups and they left feeling more equipped and inspired to lead their groups forward.

PCT Work:

We have worked extensively with numerous Primary Care Trust and Strategic Health Authority organisations across the region around personal health budgets, respiratory care pathways, surveys on pulmonary rehabilitation and collaborative working for raising awareness around good lung health in the community.

This has included Barking & Dagenham PCT, Camden PCT, Norfolk PCT, Hammersmith & Fulhum PCT, East of England SHA and South East Coast SHA.