The increased size of the printed guide becomes more of a practical challenge for our Members to use. We have two fantastic alternatives to the printed version, the online Food and Drink Information and the mobile app. If you find these options easier to use than the printed version and would like to opt out of receiving the hard copy, please contact us on 0333 332 2033 or log in to your scrapbook to opt out. We will be asking Members throughout 2016 to help us work out the best format for future editions.

Walkers cannot guarantee that any of their crisps are suitable for people following a gluten-free diet.

The law on gluten-free labelling means a strict criteria has to be met if manufacturers want to indicate the suitability of their foods for people with coeliac disease.

In order to label ‘gluten-free’ or ‘suitable for coeliacs’ products would have to ensure that they contain no more than 20 parts per million gluten. As Walkers cannot meet this requirement, they have removed their ‘suitable for coeliacs’ label. In addition, they have added an advisory statement on packs that states that the crisp products have been made in a factory where there are gluten-containing ingredients.

You can contact Walkers directly for more information by calling their careline on 0800 980 8235.

Having coeliac disease does not necessarily mean that you need to pay more for insurance cover. When you contact insurance companies, you should make the following points clear:

• coeliac disease is caused by an intolerance to gluten in products containing wheat, barley and rye
• it is treated by keeping to a life long gluten free diet and does not require any medication
• once following the gluten free diet, the individual returns to full health
• if gluten is eaten accidentally, some symptoms may occur, but they are temporary and extremely unlikely to require any medical attention or hospitalisation
• anaphylactic shock is not associated with coeliac disease.

You can check out insurance companies’ websites who offer specific packages for those who have coeliac disease, but also shop around. Your present insurance company should be able to help you with a sensible quote.

The entry pack has everything you need to #ShineALightOnCoeliac. You will be able to set up a fundraising page, download the Challenge Week logo and read our Tips and Ideas leaflet. You will also find sponsor forms and all the information you need to shine your light.

To manage the registration and fundraising elements of the challenge we are using a company called Enthuse. The platform has been designed specifically to support charities in securely managing fundraising activities. Hosted in the UK, it provides a secure donor account area, anonymous giving option, built-in data validation and is GDPR compliant.

Coeliac UK volunteers have a range of backgrounds and skills but are united in their goal to help the Charity. We do not ask for any specific qualifications and no previous experience of volunteering is necessary.

The roles have been designed to be flexible so that you can tailor them to your experiences and strengths

There are two Sections in our printed Food and Drink Guide because of new legislation which came into effect in January 2012.

Section 1 lists foods that comply with this legislation and Section 2 lists foods that comply with allergen labelling legislation based on deliberate ingredients. We have more information on how the Sections work.

We really appreciate all the work you do to support people living with coeliac disease and want to make sure that you have the resources and tools you need to do so. As an HCP Member of Coeliac UK you will have access to the following:

• Live Well Gluten Free app
• Food and Drink Guide
• electronic newsletters
• Helpline support
• Food and Drink Information
• Venue Guide on our website
• Recipe Database on our website
• online publications and leaflets
• monthly Food and Drink Guide updates
• food alerts
• Crossed Grain magazine
• HCP forum

In order to provide these benefits free of charge to healthcare professionals, we will be asking members to renew on a yearly basis.

Introducing a pharmacy led supply scheme allows better stock control of gluten-free foods for pharmacists as well as providing a more flexible service to improve the patient experience.

Pharmacists and GP dispensaries are paid a service charge at six monthly intervals for each patient who accesses the service. When the scheme in Northamptonshire was introduced it was run as an Enhanced Service with funding for this element of the contract coming from Primary Care Contracting budgets.