Last updated: 19 August 2025

Timeline

2004:  Alopecia UK First Established

Alopecia UK was established in 2004 by Vicky Rees (nee Spencer Bowdage) with the aim of creating a website, as there was a lack of information available online at that time.  

2005:  Charitable Status Granted 

This marks the year Alopecia UK officially became a registered charity. 

2005 -2012: The Early Years

During this time Alopecia UK established a structure for volunteers, the Management Committee and of course a board of Trustees.  Subsequently the charity developed an online forum, supported a network of face to face support groups, introduced a membership scheme, developed a suppliers' directory and email account for questions. These early years were a real family effort with Vicky being supported by her mum, dad, sister and brother-in-law, all of whom took on various volunteer roles of admin, treasurer and/or trustee. All the hard work undertaken in the charity’s early years, provided the foundation for the charity that exists today.

2012-2013:  Transition Period

During 2012 and 2013, as more people began to get involved in Alopecia UK, the Spencer-Bowdage family gradually stepped down from Alopecia UK in order to focus on growing families and to pursue long-held career ambitions.  It was during this period that, Jen Chambers & Amy Johnson, along with long term volunteer Jackie Tomlinson, invested ever increasing amounts of volunteer time into the Charity, which was a key element to the success of this transition period.

2013:  Alopecia UK Hosts a Flashmob Event

On 1st September 2013, Alopecia UK held its very first large scale awareness event, bringing together a group of people with alopecia, from all over the UK, in Liverpool for a flashmob.  A 2013 flashmob video was created and shared widely on social media platforms to raise awareness of alopecia throughout September (alopecia awareness month).

2013:  £20,000 Donation Received from European Hair Research Society (EHRS)

Following Alopecia UK’s attendance at the World Congress for Hair Research in 2013, including an inspiring presentation from our then Chair of Trustees Jackie Tomlinson, the EHRS gave a £20,000 donation to the charity. The money was used to fund a Hair Loss Priority Setting Partnership (PSP) to establish priorities for research.

2014:  Introduction of First Staff Resource

2014:  First Alton Towers Event

2014:  First Big Weekend Event in London

2015:  Priorities for Research Established

The Hair Loss PSP published two top ten lists for priorities for research in November 2015, following a consultation that began in January 2014.

2016:  BBC Eggheads Win of £29,000

In March 2016, a team of 5 ladies with alopecia, put together by our ambassador Sue Hampton, beat the BBC’s ‘Eggheads’ to win £29,000 for Alopecia UK. The team kindly donated their winnings resulting in the single-biggest donation to the charity.

2016:  Alopecia UK Moves into its First Office

2017:  Merger between Alopecia UK and Autoimmune Alopecia Research UK

Autoimmune Alopecia Research UK (AAR-UK) was founded by Jayne Waddell in 2012 to further research into alopecia. On 1st November 2017, after months of talks and legal review, Alopecia UK & AAR-UK formally merged.  The name 'Alopecia UK' remained, as it best represented the national charity.  The AAR-UK Trustees joined the AUK Trustee Board, with the combined board steering the future direction of Alopecia UK.

2017:  New Logo for Alopecia UK

The new logo was inspired by a dandelion. The dandelion, like alopecia, has associations with loss. While we did want to incorporate this element we also wanted a logo that would feel very positive, with a shape that would feel distinctive and stand out from the crowd (also like alopecia).  There is a nod towards hair loss with some florets missing and a space in the middle which could be seen as a patch of alopecia.  Our choice of colours were important combining key colours that had become synonymous with both charities, the blue from AUK and the pink from AAR-UK.   Although based on the dandelion concept, we like that the final shape is actually open to interpretation with our previewers saying that it looked like a flower, a firework and a starburst. Our new logo was designed by Robert Newman of Toasted. 

2018:  New Website, New Start!

In May 2018 we launched a new website which represented the start of a new chapter for Alopecia UK.  

2018:  Alopecia E-Learning Module for GPs Launched

Our E-Learning module for GPs went live in May 2018. Developed with the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), the module is designed to improve GPs' understanding of alopecia, and as a result, improve the patient experience. 

2018:  First Alopecia UK Research Funding Call

In July 2018 we put out our first Research Funding Call and as a result invested £19,925 into two research studies; 'Characterising the role of antigen presenting cells in alopecia areata' and 'Coeliac Disease and Micronutrient Deficiency in Alopecia Areata; Association or Coincidence?'. Details of both 2018 research funding calls can be found here.

2018:  Short Documentary Film 'Shedding' is Released

In Alopecia Awareness Month 2018, our documentary film Shedding was released. The film went on to reach over 93,000 people and won multiple awards. 

2018:  First Alopecia UK Research Committee Meeting

In October 2018, Alopecia UK's Research Committee met for the first time. The Committee is made up of scientists, researchers, pharma representatives, psychologists, clinicians and patient representatives.

2019:  Merger between Alopecia UK and Helping Alopecia Trust (HAT)

On 1st July 2019, after months of talks, Alopecia UK and Helping Alopecia Trust (HAT) formally merged. HAT worked in Northern Ireland for nearly 10 years, offering help and support to those affected by alopecia. 

2019:  Creation of Alopecia UK Lay Research Panel 

In November 2019, we brought together our first Lay Research Panel; a group of people with lived experience of alopecia who wish to support researchers. 

2019:  Alopecia UK Becomes Member of AMRC

In December 2019, Alopecia UK became a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC). 

2020:  First 'Hannah Dennis Alopecia Awareness Award' Winner

Eight year old Bonnie Pullan became the first ever recipient of our 'Hannah Dennis Alopecia Awareness Award', an annual alopecia awareness award for young people named in memory of a special friend of Alopecia UK. 

2020:  Alopecia UK Celebrates 15th Birthday!

In September 2020, we celebrated 15 years as a registered charity. To mark the occasion, we organised an awareness and fundraising campaign; our 'Birthday Bonanza'. Thanks to 110 'Birthday Champions' we raised a huge amount of awareness and raised over £50,000 (smashing our original £15,000 target). 

2021:  Alopecia UK Schools Pack Launched

Designed to tackle some of the struggles that young people face in schools, the pack includes PowerPoint presentations, teaching resources, staff training and uniform guidance. To date, we have sent out over 400 School Packs. Request your Schools Pack here.

2021:  First Kingswood Residential Activity Weekend

We welcomed more than 30 families to a residential weekend full of confidence-building fun.

2022:  Alopecia UK attends first NICE technology appraisal meeting

Alopecia UK was invited by NICE to participate in a technology appraisal meeting for a new medication being considered for routine commissioning on the NHS. Alopecia UK was invited to represent the patient voice. 

2022:  Alopecia UK brought into media storm following Oscars

We reacted quickly to the events at the 2022 Oscars with a blog post that later went on to be quoted in multiple media outlets, and our words read by millions of people across the globe. The blog post remains one of the most read items on our website.

2022:  Alopecia UK Publishes Charter for Best Practice for NHS Wig Provision

In June 2022, we published our Charter for Best Practice for NHS Wig Provision to try and ensure fair access to wigs for people with alopecia. Find out more about the Charter here. 

2022:  Creation of Men's Resources

Following feedback and input from men in our community, we introduced a new section of our website especially designed for men.

2023:  First ever PhD Bursary Awarded

With money received from a generous legacy restricted to alopecia areata research, we awarded our first ever PhD bursary to a team led by Dr Matthew Harries at the Centre for Dermatology Research at the University of Manchester. The project is titled 'The Alopecia Areata Rapid Access Clinic: Can early access improve outcomes in patients with recent-onset alopecia areata' and you can find out more here. 

2023:  Introduction of AUK Community Card

Our Community Card provides an opportunity to support the work of Alopecia UK, whilst also getting discounts from more than 50 participating businesses from our Service Directory. 

2023:  Linzi's Wig Bank Reaches Milestone Fundraising Total

Linzi Brack of Diamond Wig Bank reached a fundraising milestone for Alopecia UK by hitting a grand total of £10,000 since she started the wig bank to raise funds for Alopecia UK in 2019. 

2024:  Ritlecitinib Recommended by NICE for Routine NHS Commissioning

Following years of advocacy work from Alopecia UK, attending NICE technology appraisal meetings, the JAK inhibitor medication ritlecitinib (LITFULO) was recommended by NICE for routine commissioning for the treatment of severe alopecia areata for patients aged 12 and over. This marked the first ever NICE-approved treatment for alopecia areata. 

2024:  BBC iPlayer Documentary 'My Alopecia and Me' Released

In the final days of August, the BBC released the BBC iPlayer documentary ‘My Alopecia and Me’, and played it in its entirety on BBC Breakfast on Saturday 31st August 2024, reaching millions. 

2025: Publication of Health Inequality report

Our report 'Health inequality in plain sight: The need for better alopecia care' aimed to gain a better understanding of alopecia care in NHS England. Data from Freedom of Information requests, and a community survey, informed the report. A key finding was that 64% of people living with alopecia are not satisfied with the care they are receiving from the NHS. Alopecia UK intends to use this report to raise awareness and advocate for positive change, with the charity speaking about the report's findings at the British Association of Dermatologists' annual meeting in July 2025. 

2025: Two further PhD bursaries funded by Alopecia UK

In 2025 we funded two further PhD bursaries, taking our total to three. One of the projects is led by Professor Simon Milling at the University of Glasgow and is titled 'Identifying the cellular interactions of immune cells that cause alopecia areata'. The other project is led by Dr Fabio Zucchelli at the University of the West of England and aims to 'Develop a framework to facilitate effective, psychologically safe, equitable and inclusive peer support for individuals affected by alopecia areata'.