AN Edinburgh high school has raised awareness on allergies and the importance of labelling on food with a sponsored walk.
Organised by Martha, of Portobello High School, the S6 pupil was diagnosed with allergies in milk, eggs, nuts, mustard, and seafood when she was just a baby.
The initiative raised funds for Natasha’s Foundation, with 150 pupils and staff walking around Portobello Promenade.
Natasha’s Foundation was founded in memory of Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who passed away aged 15 after consuming a sandwich that was incorrectly labelled. The charity raises awareness of allergies and the importance of food labelling.
Martha, who hopes to go to study sociology at university next year, said, “I wanted to raise awareness of allergies and how life threatening they can be. Lots of people think that allergies aren’t that important or offer snacks without checking first that opening that bag of cakes could really harm someone.
“Some allergies are so severe that just the allergen in the air could send them into anaphylactic shock.
“Luckily I’ve not had anaphylactic shock before, but I have had severe reactions to food lots of times. I always carry my epi-pen on me and taught my friends how to use it on me just in case.”
The walk for Natasha’s Foundation raised £725 for the charity, with most walkers wearing purple, the official colour of the charity, and tucking into home made shortbread at the half way line – made by Martha and free from the 14 most common allergens in the UK.
Now Martha hopes to be able to teach all the pupils at Portobello how to administer an epi-pen. She said, “Knowing what to do when someone has a severe reaction could be the difference between life and death.”
Headteacher at Portobello High, Greg McDowall, added, “A huge congratulations to Martha for her hard work organising this walk and raising a fantastic amount for charity.
“The walk has definitely raised awareness within the school community of allergies and the importance of clear labelling as well as knowing what to do in an emergency.”
