The Blossom Campaign

What is Blossom
Who is Blossom for?
Childhood Allergy Booklets
Allergy protocols for schools and carers
Why The Blossom Campaign is the chosen charity of The Colchester Baby Book

What is Blossom?

Blossom is the exciting new children's campaign from Allergy UK that aims to give hope and support to childhood allergy sufferers and their families.

Allergy UK recognises the daily suffering that can be caused by allergies, and that childhood allergy can affect children's quality of life and sometimes their future. With the incidence of childhood allergy in this country now reaching 40%, Allergy UK has launched Blossom to tackle the problem of social exclusion due to allergy.

Information is available through publications, this website, and from trained staff via our helpline. This information is intended for parents, childcare professionals, teachers and healthcare professionals, and anyone wishing to support children with allergies.

Through the use of these materials the Blossom team will work with the childcare industry to establish policies and procedures so that children no longer have to be excluded due to their allergies.

By providing information to parents on how to manage children's allergy symptoms and treatments, Blossom aims to release parents from the loneliness and struggle of coping on their own with conditions that restrict everyday family life.

Blossom will also work closely with healthcare professionals to ensure that they have the latest information in medical allergy research, and are able to support their patients with the latest forms of treatment.

The Blossom campaign hopes to promote the importance of childhood allergy to the level of a national debate regarding the impact of allergy on children's lives, and what can be done to support parents and healthcare professionals in the battle to achieve faster diagnosis.

Blossom is backed by the allergy experts at Allergy UK, the nation's leading allergy charity, and is supported in conjunction with children's allergy specialists at the Evelina Children's Hospital, part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. Already supporting medical experts and allergy sufferers throughout the country with its expertise in allergy information, Allergy UK has now brought its experience to the world of childhood allergy.

Who is Blossom for?

Blossom is for all those who live and operate in a child's world. Our information and services are tailored to meet the needs of anyone who cares for children so that they may provide the very best support and care for children with allergies. We look to support...

Children

Children can often find themselves unable to participate in activities that their friends enjoy due to the restrictions of allergy. Families can find it easier to withdraw from family outings rather than cope with the pressure of possible exposure to the allergens.

In addition, children with allergies have to cope with the social label of being 'different' from their classmates, and can feel as if they are kept outside their social circle. We aim to provide information to help children deal with allergy from their own unique perspective, as well as to inform other children and encourage acceptance of allergic conditions.

Children rely on the support of those around them to manage their allergies. We aim to provide the best information available for those who are involved with children. We seek to inform and educate the nation on the causes and treatments of allergies, thereby creating an environment that supports children as they grow, enabling them to manage each phase of their allergy as they mature.

Parents

It can be a worrying time, dealing with a condition that affects daily life; Blossom offers advice and information through its helpline, website and publications to support parents from initial diagnosis to management of treatments and therapies for their child.

Blossom is a campaign to highlight the importance of childhood allergy and the impact that it has on children and family life. We campaign for recognition of this problem and seek to provide parents with the most up-to-date information available on their children's allergies.

Childcarers and Teachers

There is an ever growing demand on childcarers and teachers to be able to provide the best care and support environment for children. While this is just as it should be, without the relevant information and organisational structure childcare professionals are sometimes left with no option but to exclude children from certain activities when their allergies present problems.

At Blossom you will be able to receive training on procedures and policies that will assist you in including all children with allergies, and provide you with the expertise to meet their needs. Documentation will be available for you to tailor to your specific environment and practices.

In addition the helpline is available to you where you can speak to our allergy advisors who can help you with any additional queries you may have.

Healthcare Professionals

Blossom aims to provide you with the ability to access the latest medical research on allergies, their cause and treatment. Our resources are developed in conjunction with paediatric allergy specialists at the Evelina Children's Hospital, at St Thomas'. You can be confident that having Blossom as a resource will enable you to treat your patients based on the latest knowledge.

Childhood Allergy Booklets

Blossom's information and services are tailored to meet the needs of anyone who cares for children so that they may provide the best support and care for children with allergies.

They have written a series of information packed booklets which will help you support any child suffering with allergies.

All of these booklets are available by calling
The Blossom Campaign helpline on 01322 619898.

Allergy, Pregnancy and the First Year

Blossom has developed this booklet for new parents and those who are pregnant, or are planning on becoming pregnant, so that parents can have a clear understanding of what care is best for the new baby and pregnant mums and prepares parents for how to minimise exposure to allergens for the newest family member.

Allergy, Pregnancy and the First Year looks at:

The family links in allergic conditions
Facts on having a healthy pregnancy
Managing allergy treatments during pregnancy
Preparing for the labour ward when you have an allergy
Caring for your new baby and providing the best environment
Feeding baby
All the changing stages up to 12 months

Childhood Allergy - Symptoms, Diagnosis and Available Treatments

This booklet includes the latest views on the possible causes of allergy in our children, and what produces the allergic reactions in the body.

It takes a step-by-step look at allergies and allergic conditions listing symptoms and providing facts on each condition including:

Atopic asthma
Atopic eczema
Hayfever and perennial rhinitis
Food allergy
Oral allergy syndrome

This Blossom booklet gives complete information on what to expect if your child has to go for an allergy test, and also lists the range of treatments available to you and your child following diagnosis. The information contained in this booklet will help you understand how allergic conditions occur and how treatments work to combat the symptoms of allergies.

Living with Allergy - Treatments and Allergy Control (coming soon)

After diagnosis allergy control must be managed by setting up new routines for the child and parents. Parents have to absorb a lot of new information about their child's condition. This Blossom booklet introduces you to the medical professionals that will help you and your child throughout their diagnosis and treatment.

With comprehensive information on all allergy treatments, it gives parents the essentials they need on managing each allergy treatment, and how to set up the all important treatment routines. In addition it includes ideas about what you and your child can do to lessen allergy symptoms and their effects on everyday life, with suggestions on what you can do around the home to control allergy.

It is essential reading for anyone who has to manage the treatment of a child with allergy.

Living with Allergy - A Child's World (coming soon)

Managing a child's allergy condition and treatment means understanding their environment and their social life. To help parents make sure that their child can have a full and active social life while taking account of their condition, Blossom has produced this Living with Allergy booklet.

Here parents and child carers can find information on how to manage the different environments and social settings that children are in, while still taking care that the exposure to allergens is eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels.

Child carers and parents are given the essentials to manage allergy in the following settings:

In child care
In school
At clubs
At parties
On day trips
On holiday

All of these booklets are available by calling
The Blossom Campaign helpline on 01322 619898.

Allergy Protocols

Blossom have made available these child allergy and anaphylaxis protocols which can be used by anyone caring for a child who may be at risk of allergic symptoms or anaphylaxis.

A specific protocol is required for each child to ensure that everyone caring for the child is aware of their allergies, symptoms and to help promote better understanding of the child's needs and medical requirements. This should help to allow for better management of symptoms and recognition of how to deal with emergency situations if they arise. It should also allow for effective communication between the parents, childcarers and medical professionals which should help both the allergic child and anyone involved in their care.

Regular updates of this document should be made (it is recommended that this document is read by those caring for the child between 3-6 monthly periods to ensure familiarity and up to date appropriate care. An annual review is recommended (unless changes need to be made as suggested by the treating Doctor before this date).

The information below is given for guidance purposes only and should be used as an example to help with drawing up of an individual named protocol in conjunction with the clinical judgement of the patient's GP or Consultant, the parents the childminder / nursery / playschool / carer who is looking after that child

All of these booklets are available by calling Blossom helpline on 01322 619898.

Why The Blossom Campaign is our chosen charity

A Letter from Alex Dobson - Sales & Marketing Manager, The Colchester Baby Book

My son Archie was born screaming in August 2006. He carried on screaming continuously for the first few days of his life.

As a new mum, naturally I was afraid. Was something wrong? I was assured by health professionals at my local hospital this was normal baby behaviour. I was breast feeding and they told me he was probably just hungry. I needed to give it time and things would settle. Back at home things did not settle. The screaming continued. My midwife suggested I try 50/50 breast milk and formula but this only seemed to make things worse. Archie progressed from just screaming to screaming and vomiting; after every feed it was taking me up to two hours to calm him down. Both my common sense and my instincts told me this was not normal, and after 5 weeks of worry and sleepless nights, I was finally seen by a consultant at Great Ormond Street hospital in London.

Archie was put onto an amino acid based formula called Neacote. Thankfully after a few weeks drinking this, he seemed less fraught. He was then diagnosed with an Allergic Colitis to wheat, soya, egg, all dairy, all milk, fish, nuts, corn and lentils. Because I had been eating and drinking foods Archie was allergic to, he had been allergic to my breast milk and had been in a constant state of distress. As it stands today, we are still only able to introduce foods slowly.

Even on this ‘free from’ diet, Archie still suffers; he has to take daily medication to ease the discomfort and also suffers from eczema and asthma.

Before I had Archie, I was totally unaware of the impact on the lives of children, parents and carers suffering from allergies. And I was unaware of the daily hazards that children like Archie face - at nursery, going to the park, at children’s parties, toddler groups and even in their own homes.

Since having Archie, one of the biggest obstacles for me has been the astonishing lack of knowledge and support for children with allergies. After many endless hours on the internet I stumbled across Allergy UK. Finding them has been nothing short of a godsend. Allergy UK has a special division dedicated to children’s allergies called the Blossom Campaign. At Blossom, there is always someone on the end of the phone ready to listen and help in any way that they can. The ways that they can help are numerous. It’s a tremendous relief to have Allergy UK and the Blossom Campaign in my life.

Allergy UK can only continue to provide their invaluable support to children like Archie through to adulthood with proper awareness and funding, so I have decided to get involved and support them in any way I can.

As part of our drive to raise funds for The Blossom Campaign we took part in the 2008 Blossom Bounce in Colchester on April 19th. The event was hosted by SD School of Martial Arts and supported by The Colchester Baby Book. The fun day was officially opened by Colchester MP Bob Russell. Children were sponsored to bounce on our bouncy castle while other activities will included face painting, fun martial arts sessions and arts and crafts. Allergy-friendly foods were served and our local radio station, SGR Colchester were at the event to offer support and add to the fun. The day was a great sucess and we managed to raise £2000.