Sickle Cell and Thalassemia is a genetically inherited blood disorder, which has a high incidence among certain minority ethnic groups, in particular, West Africans (1 in 4 people), African-Caribbean's (1 in 10), Greeks (1 in 10) and Asians (1 in 50). Despite the extent of the disease, the NHS Prescriptions Authority does not deem the condition eligible for free prescriptions. As a result, sufferers - often young adults who cannot afford the cost of prescriptions - struggle to get treatment. Our joint research with St Thomas' Hospital into patients admitted to Accident and Emergency Services has revealed a high percentage of young people going untreated due to their inability to purchase medication. In order to address this problem and alleviate unnecessary suffering, the Foundation is currently campaigning for the NHS Prescriptions Authority to approve free prescriptions for Sickle Cell and Thalassemia sufferers. In addition, we have provided a grant to St Thomas' Hospital consultants to enable them to issue free prescriptions to young people affected by this disorder.

Everyone in Britain, whatever their religion or belief, has the right to choose whether to get married and who they want to marry. But in some cases - more often than we might think - people are forced into marriage. Sometimes it might be to someone they don’t like or have never even met. Sometimes they are too young to get married (sometimes as young as 12 or 13) or don’t feel ready to marry at all. And sometimes it might be that they are lesbian or gay and do not want to marry someone of the opposite sex.

Community Matters is the National Federation for Community Organisations. We currently have 1180 member organisations across the UK and have been supporting community associations and similar organisations since 1945. Vision Our vision is for active and sustainable communities in which everyone is valued and can play their full part. Mission Community Matters pursues this vision by supporting and developing the capacity of community organisations and representing their interests at a national level.

EqualityBritain is a website and annual directory promoting Equality and Diversity. It has dedicated sections covering employment, education, housing, sport and fostering & adoption. Following from 7 successful years of Ethnic Britain, the aim of EqualityBritain is for a wide cross section of organisations to promote their jobs, courses and services but also to raise their profile within all sections of the community regardless of: Age Race Disability Gender Sexual Orientation Religion & Belief Transgender Status. For more information visit the website http://www.ethnicbritain.co.uk/