Setting up a Gluten Free Group

Observer letter

When my wife, was diagnosed as suffering from the Coeliac disease in August 2006, we immediately sought help from all people, who we could contact.

We received lots of leaflets and many free samples, but we needed to just talk with people, who understood the condition, knew the local area, shops, supermarkets and very basically “what do you do next”.

We found this facility to be missing in the UK, we didn't want expensive lunches, we didn't want to have to drive miles to have lunch and not really talk to people, we wanted to meet fellow sufferers and chat.

So in January 2007, we contacted a local Church and as a charity, they offered us a Hall, for two preliminary meetings, at no charge. We then contacted our local Press, both the Crawley News and the Crawley Observer, who both agreed to print stories about our planned meetings, (see attached published articles).

So we held our first and second meeting, in mid-January 2007 and we were surprised to discover, that all the people who came along felt, exactly the same as we did, they needed to meet other sufferers and chat about their illness and how to survive on a gluten free diet, in a world full of gluten.

So we commenced with our first proper meeting in February 2007, we were extremely fortunate, to obtain a talk and demonstration by Lifestyle, one of the UK's major suppliers of GF food to the airline industry. They brought along some great tasting freshly baked, the day before, white bread, our members had never before tasted anything like it. And thats how we got going, with just a one and a half hour meeting, now 2 hours and some times, we could do with longer, now we have introduced tea and coffee and so perhaps with some sponsorship money we will be able to afford a longer hiring period in 2008.

So from there we have flourished, we avoid expensive lunches or dinners, instead we bargain for a good 3 course GF meal, which we have achieved successfully.

We were told we would have to be run by a Committee, we voted on that and unanimously the members voted to stay as we were, so thats what we have done.

We were told we had to have a committee to establish a bank account, you don't, we went to Lloyds TSB in Three Bridges, Crawley and successfully opened up a Charity Bank Account, which has monthly statements, which are open to audit at all our monthly meetings.

We will no longer be asking for a membership donation from our members, we now receive sufficient funds each month from our raffle and tea monies, to cover our monthly expenses, which are mainly to do with printing/photocopying and hire of the hall.

Now with the launch of our web site, and the possibility of some level of sponsorship, we have the potential to stop all requests for donations from our members, as we do not wish to make a profit, this we should be able to decide at our next open planning meeting on the 17th November 2007.

So we have proved you can go it alone and we will offer whatever help and advise we can supply, to any other group of sufferers from gluten, anywhere in the UK or indeed, with the use of the internet, anywhere in the world, who wish to start up their own GF Group, just contact us and lets discuss it.

We specifically designed our own web domain address, so that other towns or cities can easily set up their own web pages, in a similar fashion to our original one. Same Home Page layout, similar buttons, different content and possibly colour. So by changing that part of the web address from Crawley, to say Brighton or Glasgow, then registering the new name and with the considerable help from our web master and subject to his agreement, you would then be able to set up your own web site, at a minimal cost. Our web master may also be able to assist in the running of the web pages. So contact Don Tombs, via the contact details and we will help you to get started.