Our local groups and volunteering opportunities can help you connect with other members of your gluten free community – as our Volunteer Manager, Mandy Carey explains:

“This time last year, the volunteering team were busy making plans for some new and exciting events to give our volunteers opportunities to meet up, share experiences and celebrate success.

“We were just putting the finishing touches to a meet up agenda for our volunteers and we had managed to secure an inspirational speaker. Our first Youth Events Group meeting was held and we were full of ideas on how to engage with our younger members.

“It was such a shame that these plans had to be put on hold, and it wasn’t quite the year we had imagined for our Coeliac UK volunteers. As we all went into lockdown, the events arranged by our local groups sadly had to be cancelled.

“All face to face meetings and events are still on hold, but our local groups have risen to the challenge admirably in the face of adversity, seeking alternative ways to connect with their members to provide much needed support.

“A number of our local groups have arranged meetings via Zoom so that people can feel that they are not alone. Newsletters and updates have been sent out to members so they feel supported. Facebook has also provided an effective way to stay connected for some local groups.

“Despite the current restrictions, you can still join a local group. This could be just what you need if you are feeling lonely during the lockdown. Connecting with others in the gluten free community may help you to feel less isolated.”

About our local groups

Local groups support and guide people (and their families) who are either diagnosed, or actively seeking diagnosis of coeliac disease within the local community.

We have 60 local groups across the UK, all welcoming new members. To find out if there is a local group in your area, visit www.coeliac.org.uk/local-groups. Contact a local group and a committee member will get in touch with you with more information.

Our local groups depend on volunteers and are always grateful for offers of help. They’d be keen to hear from any of their members who would be interested in finding out more about joining a committee.

Start your own local group

No local group in your area? You may be interested in starting a local group and helping to support others in the gluten free community. You’ll need to be able to give some time to a local group committee role. In return it’ll be a rewarding and worthwhile experience with opportunities to meet new people. There’s also ongoing support on hand from the Volunteering team. You can find out what’s involved by contacting the Volunteering team.

“The Volunteering team want to make sure that local group volunteers feel engaged and valued. They all receive a monthly Volunteers’ update and have been able to meet volunteers from other local groups by joining monthly online catch ups. The catch ups have helped volunteers to identify effective ways to connect with their members during the pandemic. Having the opportunity to share ideas has generated many interesting discussions too.

“We’re very grateful to everyone who has expressed an interest in volunteering for us during the pandemic. Due to lockdown restrictions we’ve been unable to meet all of these requests unfortunately as some roles are on hold. We hope that we’ll be able to address this later on when it is safe to do so.

“Thank you to all our volunteers, you are amazing. We’re so proud that you continue to make a difference to the people you support in such difficult circumstances. You’re an inspiration to us all.

“We’re looking forward to meeting up with our volunteers in the not too distant future.”

Whatever your age, skills or interests, why not make 2021 the year you join our fantastic team of volunteers at Coeliac UK? Visit www.coeliac.org.uk/volunteer

You can find more resources to help you cope with loneliness during the coronavirus pandemic on our Coronavirus Hub.

Loneliness really can put our mental health at risk. Visit Samaritans and Mind if you’d like more advice about looking after your mental health.