The region: what is Breathe North?
Breathe North is the British Lung Foundation office for the North and North East of England. The Newcastle office covers everywhere from Hadrian’s Wall to the famous fishing port of Grimsby.
Deaths from conditions like lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema in the Breathe North region are higher than the UK average.
Local groups: Breathe Easy in the North
There are Breathe Easy groups for all parts of the Breathe North region. To get in touch with a group near you, or if you want to set one up, please contact our regional office in Newcastle — more details at the bottom of the page. We have groups in:
ASHINGTON
CRAVEN
DARLINGTON
DONCASTER
DURHAM
HARROGATE
HUDDERSFIELD
LEEDS & DISTRICT
NEWCASTLE
PONTEFRACT
SCARBOROUGH
SHEFFIELD
SUNDERLAND
TEESIDE
WAKEFIELD
WALLSEND & TYNESIDE
YORK
Events
Do something breathtaking all year round
Enjoy yourself and raise money for the British Lung Foundation at the same time. Breathe North organises parachute jumps and white-water rafting all year round. You can jump on your own (or in tandem) and raft in teams of six to eight people. You need to be 16 or over to jump and 14 or over to raft.
If jumping and rafting is not your thing, then Breathe North has many other things you can do.
31 March 2001 — Matfen Hall Country House Hotel
Dinner and dancing for the less energetic.
Great North Run 2001
Get breathless for Breathe North and make your run truly breathtaking. Teams of four or more runners can compete for our Team Challenge Trophy.
Also coming up next year will be golf days, It’s a Knockout! and a Bike Challenge for all you keen cyclists out there.
Contact our office for more details
Tackling lung disease in the North
The Breathe North Appeal helped build and equip the Sir William Leech Centre for Lung Research at the Freeman Hospital, in Newcastle. The Centre opened in 1990 and has made a significant contribution into areas including transplantation, asthma, sleep disordered breathing and respiratory muscle function.
The Breathe North region is a major home for respiratory research and the British Lung Foundation has put £1/2 million into projects in the region. One project led to Britain’s first single lung transplant, carried out at the Freeman Hospital. Another team currently funded by the Foundation is looking at ways of reducing rejection of the lung following a transplant.
Breathe North also works with other bodies to help tackle smoking, pollution and other causes of lung disease. It works with Don’t Choke Britain and supported the In Town Without My Car event in Sunderland.
Newcastle hosted the third regional lung health symposium on 30 September 2000. This gives people with lung conditions and health professionals the chance to find out more about how to improve quality of life. For further details, contact our office.
Get in touch
If you want to know more about the work of the British Lung Foundation in North and North East England