A brief history of Breathe Easy

Breathe Easy began in 1991 and was the aspiration of Trevor Clay, the first male General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing and a BLF Trustee.

Trevor was very aware of how isolating it could be to live with a lung condition as he himself had emphysema. He recognised the need for patients to come together for mutual support and advice, as well as the importance of patients and family/carers receiving information on lung health so that they would be better able to help themselves.

Trevor felt passionately that people should 'live with their lung condition' and not 'suffer from it.' To this end the Breathe Easy magazine was developed, providing information and news about lung health (this has since been replaced by Breathing Space magazine). The Breathe Easy support groups followed, allowing people to come together to share experiences and support each other. Trevor died in 1995 but his legacy of Breathe Easy continues to grow and help thousands of people live with their lung condition every day.