The previous fee stayed at the same rate since its introduction in 2008 although associated costs beyond our control have continued to rise. Throughout this time we have continued to develop our services for you and improve the way you can access the information you need to support your diet and health.

Fundamental Member services, such as the Food and Drink Directory and Venue Guide, are resource intensive regardless of how many access the service. Additionally, for publications, the fewer people who buy the publication, the more expensive it will become per item sold as a lower print run drives the printing price up. But, if there is a significant enough shift by the majority of our Membership towards accessing information online over printed publications, we will then be in a position to review how we deliver these services.

The revised fees came into effect from November 2014.

We review the scheme and its efficiencies every year to make sure we continue to deliver a value for money Membership. We only make changes to the Membership fee when it is necessary and we are building up other services and initiatives with the aim to provide additional income in the future to support our range of services.

We’ve looked at other health charities to benchmark our services and offering with our fee. We have found that although our fees are very similar to these charities, and in some cases lower, we offer more Membership benefits with our scheme.

We will still offer the different Membership fee categories and payment options, for example a Direct Debit for £2 per month, if appropriate for you. We never want the Membership fee to be a barrier to information and are more than happy to discuss your Membership on a case by case basis. Please contact our Helpline team on 0333 332 2033 or email generalenquiries@coeliac.org.uk

Our Membership demographic is broad and varied, and the level of service and support our Members need also varies depending on where they sit in the diagnosis journey. For that reason, we have developed a range of services that will meet this broad range of needs and 95% of our Members feel their Membership provides good value for money. 

Introducing the pay at the point of joining in October 2013 has not been enough to bridge the gap and at this point in time, Membership fees are still a key source of funding for provision of our services. 

We are committed to having an inclusive Membership and extending access to those who are diagnosed, seeking diagnosis, family and friends, and carers and supporters. However, our Membership fees, along with fundraising and advertising revenue from commercial partners, are used to providing expert advice and information, funding research into more understanding of the disease and potential cure, and campaigning to increase diagnosis rates and access to gluten-free food in and out of the home.

The Gluten-free on the Move app was developed to be included within the offering available to our Members as it includes the Food and Drink information and Venue Guide. To have full access to the app you need to have Coeliac UK Membership.