Asthma UK – the charity dedicated to improving the health and wellbeing of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma – has received a £5,000 donation from Bradford-based health care specialists Sovereign Health Care to help fund its vital work.

One in every five households in the UK is affected by asthma and Asthma UK provides a valuable service working with people with asthma, health professionals and researchers to raise the understanding of the symptoms and treatments.

In Yorkshire and Humber alone it is estimated that 450,000 people have asthma and many of these rely on the services provided by Asthma UK.

Russ Piper chief executive of Sovereign Health Care said: “We are pleased to be able to help Asthma UK through the Sovereign Health Care Charitable Trust. The Trust supports health related charities both locally and nationally. Sadly there are 1,200 deaths each year from asthma and yet 90% of these deaths are preventable. This is why the work of Asthma UK is so important.”

The donation from Sovereign Health Care will help support a range of vital services including the busy Adviceline which is staffed by asthma nurse specialists, educational family weekends for parents and children with asthma and the highly regarded training for school staff.

Sovereign Health Care has supported Asthma UK for four years, donating a total of over £20,000 to the charity.

Neil Churchill, chief executive of Asthma UK said: “We’re delighted to receive Sovereign’s kind donation of £5,000 which will go towards improving the lives of millions of people with asthma. Asthma is often not considered a particularly serious condition but it can affect someone so badly they can’t walk up the stairs, get dressed or pick their kids up from school. Together with the support of charitable trusts like Sovereign Health Care, we can help make a real difference by offering lifelines like our Alert to Asthma training sessions for schools and our invaluable Asthma UK Adviceline.”

Asthma UK is just one of several charities that Sovereign Health Care helps through its Charitable Trust. Over the past six years, the organisation has donated in excess of £3.5m to community and health related charities. The donations help to support the delivery of health care and welfare services and to fund pioneering research.

Asthma Facts:

• Over 5 million people have asthma in the UK, which means one in every five households is affected
• There are around 1,200 deaths each year from asthma, including the equivalent of a classroom full of children
• 90% of deaths caused by asthma are preventable
• At least two children in every classroom have asthma
• 1 in 8 children under 15 with asthma experience attacks so severe they can’t speak
• In the UK, a person with asthma is admitted to hospital every 7 minutes because of the condition

About Asthma UK

• Asthma UK is the charity dedicated to improving the health and well-being of the 5.4 million people in the UK whose lives are affected by asthma.
• Follow Asthma UK’s media team on Twitter, at Twitter.com/AsthmaUKMedia
• For up-to-date news on asthma, information and publications, visit the Asthma UK website asthma.org.uk.
• Kickasthma.org.uk is Asthma UK’s interactive website for children and young people with asthma. The site offers support and advice and includes an asthma dictionary, problem page, games and a messageboard.
• For independent and confidential advice on asthma, call the Asthma UK Adviceline, which is staffed by asthma nurse specialists. It is free to call from a BT landline and open weekdays from 9am to 5pm on 0800 121 62 44

Sovereign Health Care is an independent, not-for-dividend company  that supplies health plan products throughout the UK. Health care cash plans allow you to claim cash back against a range of private and NHS medical costs, including dental health care, contact lenses and glasses.