Part 1...

Last month was Coeliac Awareness Week! Coeliacs and gluten free followers all over the country dedicated their time to promoting a gluten free diet. DS-gluten free felt it would be only right to interview one of the pro-active awareness raisers and who better than Jean Foster, who is not only the West Cumbrian Group Organiser but also PCT proclaimed Coeliac Lifestyle Advisor for newly diagnosed patients. We caught up with Jean to ask her all about her duties as a group organiser and what she got up to during Coeliac Awareness Week.

Hi Jean, could you tell the readers exactly what your role is as a group organiser?

The role of a group organiser is to offer support for people with coeliac disease, in their designated area. I arrange meetings for the group where we swap information, coeliac advice and gluten free recipes. I also organise an annual food fair, but I don’t do it alone. We have a committee with a lady that organises the Christmas event and a secretary who deals with our admin. There are also two sisters who are both coeliac and they produce and edit our regular newsletter which is a huge help. The rest of the committee also do various jobs but we all work together which is great.

And can you tell us a bit more about yourself, when you were diagnosed, how you became involved as a group organiser?

I was diagnosed with coeliac disease 13 years ago but this was after being ill for 30 years. My only symptom was anaemia and I’d never associated my condition with food. It got to a point where I was 7 ½ stone and I looked and felt dreadful. Nothing was showing up on the blood tests so I started to think it was cancer or something more serious. When I’d finally been diagnosed with coeliac disease I was so relieved because I’d had no energy for years and been on iron supplements and vitamins. My medical record before the diagnosis was embarrassing because I was constantly ill.

After the diagnosis I was thinking I can’t spell it, (coeliac) I can’t pronounce it and I was terrified of eating anything! Then I joined Coeliac UK and they sent me the book (food & drink directory) and I knew what I could eat so when the doctor asked me how it was going I said that it wasn’t that bad actually! Then I received an invitation to a group meeting and I couldn‘t believe how many people were there, it was so nice to see I wasn’t the only coeliac. This was when I met my predecessor the previous group organiser, and lots of other new friends. I was so grateful for someone to talk to and we were all in the same boat so it was lovely getting to know everybody. After some time, the previous group organiser asked if I’d be interested in the position and my husband Pete and I have been running it since.

Coeliac Awareness Week was 16th-22nd May. As a group organiser it was Jean’s job to raise awareness in her local area. As well as two coffee mornings and a radio interview on Radio Cumbria Jean tells us about the other events she attended and what else was happening in her area.

The students at the local college held a gluten free luncheon and invited the members of my group and the parents. The students themselves did a whole gluten free menu and talked about the coeliac condition and other intolerances such as diabetes or allergies, mainly nut. The students cooked the whole gluten free meal themselves and waited on us as well! Also, the teachers gave out pamphlets and information to students and parents about the coeliac condition.

In our area, three dietitians who weren’t gluten free or suffering from coeliac disease followed a gluten free diet for the week. They did everything from eating out gluten free, picking up something to eat whilst they were out shopping and eating at each other’s houses, one of the suggestions from Coeliac UK was to host gluten free dinner parties for friends and family. I think the dietitians were glad when it was over (Jean laughs) but it definitely helped them to gain a better understanding of what it’s like for people with coeliac disease or those following a gluten free diet.

Finally, Dr Fayyaz Chaudhri, who is a GP and leader of the Allerdale PCT (Primary Care Trust), hosted a medical talk in our town hall. Dr Chaudhri has been diagnosed with coeliac disease and hosts a medical talk on a weekly bias. For Coeliac Awareness Week he focused on coeliac disease and following a gluten free diet.

Very proactive Jean, what event did you enjoy the most and what do you think was most successful?

I think it had to be the radio interview, as this allowed me to reach a wide audience. Hopefully, by doing the interview, people will take the condition seriously and gain a better understanding of coeliac disease. I had twenty minutes of air time in which I spoke about coeliac disease and coeliac awareness week and how we were raising awareness etc. We also challenged the presenter to take on a gluten free diet so we were able to get a further 30 minutes of air time the next day as she spoke to listeners about her experience.

You can read the second part of our interview with Jean on Friday on the DS-gluten free blog.

DS-gluten free want to thank Jean for taking the time to talk to us about her role as a Coeliac UK group organiser and we wish her all the best for the future. If you are interested in becoming a member of Jean’s group in West Cumbria please email Jean with your details. The Penrith Food Fair will be taking place on Saturday 5th November at Rheged Discovery Centre, Redhills, Penrith, Cumbria CA11 0DQ. This year our home economist Gill will be hosting two cookery demonstrations, for more details please visit the Coeliac UK website. If you want to find out more about the local group in your area please contact Coeliac UK for further information.







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