About British Lung Foundation

While you’re reading this, one in seven people in the UK are having problems breathing – that’s roughly one member of every family. Each year more than one in five deaths is caused by a lung condition.

Yet less than two per cent of the Government’s health research spending is on lung disease. It certainly isn’t for lack of need that this figure is so low – lung disease kills 150,000 each year.

The British Lung Foundation funds world-class research into the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and cure of all forms of lung disease.

The charity’s research starts with life itself, for instance improving the health of babies through studying parents’ allergic sensitivities, and helping premature babies’ damaged lungs heal and develop properly.

Diseases like lung cancer, asthma and COPD are also targeted by the research we carry out.

The British Lung Foundation also provides support to people living with a lung condition through its national Breathe Easy Club. For many patients, along with their families and carers, the British Lung Foundation’s Breathe Easy club provides support they simply wouldn’t be able to cope without.

People all over the country are struggling with lung disease. It not only causes one in five deaths in this country but the struggle of living with lung disease is terrible. Having to constantly struggle for breathe every minute of the day is crippling.

The British Lung Foundation is working hard to help people with lung disease but can only do this with the help of people like you who are able to support its work.

Our history

The British Lung Foundation was set up in 1984 by a group of lung specialists at London’ s Royal Brompton Hospital. The group, led by Dr (now Prof) Malcolm Green, decided to set up the charity to combat the lack of money going into research into lung disease – less than one per cent of State health research funding in 1984.

The British Lung Foundation originally focused on research, and gained a high profile partly through being lucky enough to have the late Diana, Princess of Wales, as a Patron.

In 1991, The British Lung Foundation also began to provide support to people living with a lung condition through its Breathe Easy Club.

The Club remains Britain’s only support network for people living with all lung diseases, their carers and families. Currently, it has 21,000 members and about 120 groups across the UK.

The charity has scored many notable successes. Research it has funded has led to real improvements for people with TB, lung cancer, adult respiratory distress syndrome and people affected by air pollution.

Its successful range of publications has won Plain English awards as well as helping thousands of people understand their condition better.

Pressure from Breathe Easy groups and other organisations has ensured that 3,000 Scots living with lung disease will be given portable oxygen on the NHS – a major step towards real independence for them.

The charity now wants to get the same treatment made available for people who need it in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.