Local charity based in Shireoaks, Worksop, the National Kidney Federation (NKF), is today celebrating after being awarded £19,019 in National Lottery funding to support its work with patients and families affected by kidney disease. The National charity, which has proudly been based in the area for over 46 years, will use the money to expand its free patient support services, specifically the NKF Peer Support Service.

The NKF Peer Support Service is for patients, carers or family members who would like to converse with someone who has similar lived experiences and would like further guidance and support.

The NKF has been running since 1978 with an Executive Committee made up of patients and carers and 11 office staff. It was founded by Brian Pearmain after he realised the community needed a national patients’ association. The Federation was run entirely by volunteers originally who worked hard to build a truly democratic body that represented all UK kidney patients.

The charity now runs a free to call Helpline, a Peer Support Service and has a library of over 200 different information leaflets covering every aspect of kidney disease written and reviewed by healthcare professionals. The free patient support services available help reduce isolation and provide emotional reassurance, while offering practical guidance tailored to individual needs. While navigating the complexities of living with kidney disease, individuals are gaining greater confidence and empowerment by learning how to manage their condition with the help of the NKF.

The funding will go towards expanding the NKF Peer Support Service (Pictured: NKF Helpline Team)

placeholder image — The funding will go towards expanding the NKF Peer Support Service (Pictured: NKF Helpline Team)

The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will see the Peer Support Service expanded to reach more kidney patients across the UK. This means that more individuals affected by kidney disease will have access to vital emotional support, shared lived experiences, and guidance to help them cope with their diagnosis and treatment journey.

At the same time, the charity will be able to press on with plans to work on raising awareness of early detection of kidney disease through community outreach and educational initiatives. This will help them to build relationships with local GPs up and down the country and hopefully enable them to raise awareness about the charity’s services available.

Andrea Brown, NKF Chief Executive said: “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, we will be able to broaden our range of peers to ensure we have a peer for each situation available to patients and their families seeking help and support. This is important because it helps patients and families to build relationships with others facing similar challenges and to create their own supportive circles in times of need.”

The charity also plays an active role in campaigning for improvements in renal care and treatment. The NKF serves as the Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group (APPKG), which is made up of over 50 MPs and Lords. This group, established in Parliament, is chaired by Jo White, the local MP for Worksop, and is regularly updated by the NKF to ensure that kidney disease remains a priority on the Government’s agenda.

Jo White MP, All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group Chair, visited the NKF Office based in Shireoaks, Worksop to congratulate the charity

Jo White, commented: “I am very pleased that the National Kidney Federation, based in my constituency, are to be awarded £19,019 in National Lottery funding. The NKF do a vital job of work in campaigning for improvements to renal provision and treatment. As Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Kidney Group, I will continue to work with the NKF and the Government to ensure that treating kidney disease remains a priority.”

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It starts with community’, which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030.

As part of this, the funder has four key missions, which are to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive and enable people to live healthier lives.

National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. Thanks to them, last year (2023/24) The National Lottery Community Fund awarded over half a billion pounds (£686.3 million) of life-changing funding to communities across the UK, supporting over 13,700 projects to turn their great ideas into reality. To find out more visit TNLCommunityFund.org.uk