Who we are
The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity, was founded by Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, the parents of Natasha who died aged 15 from a severe allergic reaction to sesame.
About us
Tanya and Nadim set up Natasha’s Foundation to improve understanding and awareness of food allergies so that other families do not have to struggle with the same issues they faced as Natasha was growing up.
Through campaigning and awareness, education and clinical research, The Foundation wants to create a safer world for people living with food allergies. You can find out more about the work of the charity at www.narf.org.uk
We created Allergy School because, sadly, we hear again and again that children often feel isolated and excluded because of their food allergies.
Natasha’s Foundation is passionate about supporting children with food allergies in schools and the staff who are responsible for them.
Through Allergy School, we want teachers and club leaders to feel confident around food allergies. We want children with food allergies to feel empowered, included and protected so they can fully participate in all activities inside and outside the classroom.
Allergy School was created with the support and expertise of many partner orgnisations. We would particularly like to thank The King’s Foundation, St John Ambulance, Coram Life Education and Tesco Stronger Starts, our film sponsor.
We really believe Allergy School is a game-changer for children living with food allergies.
Sadly, we hear again and again that children and young people often feel isolated and excluded at school because of their food allergies. That’s why we created Allergy School.
Tanya Ednan-Laperouse OBE
About Natasha
By Tanya and Nadim Ednan-Laperouse OBEs, founders of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation, the UK’s food allergy charity.
Our daughter Natasha had food allergies and asthma from when she was very young, and by the time she was of school age, she had experienced 3 anaphylactic reactions that needed emergency medical treatment.
Finding a nursery school for her was extremely difficult as there was little room for negotiation with staff to ensure Natasha’s safety. When she started school at age 5, it was only after she experienced a severe allergic reaction because mistakes were made on a trip to the zoo, that staff finally took her food allergies seriously.
Other children bullied Natasha because of her food allergies and she often felt excluded. This was incredibly stressful and isolating for her and deeply distressing for us as a family. At the age of 9, we moved her to another school and, as the bullying stopped, in one year her asthma had halved, and we realised how her stress levels had impacted her asthmatic episodes.
During Natasha’s school years, it was important for us as her parents to achieve a balance; to foresee all possible safety issues and dangers that could arise in school, whilst trying to also anticipate them before they could happen and not let her sense our anxiety.
Natasha told us that she found it stressful explaining her food allergies to new friends. She often had to counter suggestions that she was making up her food allergies or exaggerating how severe her condition was. She was sad when she had to turn down birthday invitations if they were held in restaurants and places where it wasn’t safe for her to eat.
In 2016, Natasha died from a severe allergic reaction to sesame seeds, which she was allergic to. The sesame seeds were baked into the dough of a baguette sandwich, invisible to the eye and not listed on the food ingredients label. Had they been listed, Natasha would not have eaten the baguette and she would be alive today.
Her death should never have happened, it was entirely preventable.
Millions of people in the UK live with food allergies and the numbers are spiralling upwards, particularly among children.
For too long, food allergies have been overlooked in this country. NHS allergy services are woefully inadequate, and many schools and businesses remain unprepared to handle the rising allergy crisis. Medical research into the causes and treatments of food allergies is limited, leaving people with allergies and their families feeling isolated and ignored.
Natasha’s Foundation is committed to driving change for those living with food allergies, campaigning for improved services, funding medical research, and advocating for a more inclusive and tolerant society.
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