Fletchers Solicitors has announced that Asthma + Lung UK is to be its national Charity of the Year.

The law firm is partnering with the charity – formerly British Lung Foundation – to raise enough money to help fund calls to their helpline.

The donation from Fletchers will help approximately 700 people living with a lung condition to access the support that they need. The money will be raised through employee donations and a series of fundraising events throughout 2022.

The partnership ties in with Fletchers’ values of making meaningful change and keeping people well.

Peter Haden, CEO of Fletchers, said: “We’re really looking forward to building a partnership with Asthma + Lung UK over the next year and excited about what we can achieve together.

“We at Fletchers strongly believe in the need to be a responsible business that gives back to the communities that we represent.

“This is the reason we are committed to Corporate Social Responsibility and partnering with like-minded charities to make a real change to communities and its people.

“Asthma + Lung UK is a brilliant charity as lung conditions affect many people in our communities, as well as many of our colleagues.”

What does the helpline do?

The helpline will support people living with the daily realities of life with a lung condition by providing trusted, specialist information and advice from Asthma + Lung UK’s health care advisers and respiratory nurse specialists. The specialists take as long as they need to talk through issues with the callers and they support people who may be isolated and don’t know who else to turn to. It also helps to reduce pressure on NHS services.

Sarah Woolnough, CEO of Asthma + Lung UK, said: “We’re so thankful to employees at Fletchers who have voted us as their Charity of the Year.

“The money raised through fundraising and donations will fund more than 700 calls to our helpline, allowing us to support hundreds of people with lung conditions with advice and support on everything from help getting a diagnosis, ways to manage their condition and even financial support and advice.”

Why did Fletchers choose Asthma and Lung UK for this partnership?

• 10,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with a lung condition every week.
• 1 in 5 people in the UK will develop a lung condition in their lifetime.
• 1.1 million children have Asthma.
• Lung disease is the third biggest killer after heart disease and cancer, but rates of diagnosis for some serious diseases are getting worse and only 2% of public spend on medical research is into lung conditions.