The Wren Project

The Wren Project is a registered charity which provides free, ongoing, one-to-one listening support for people diagnosed with autoimmune disease in the UK. Our individualised support helps people feel less isolated and more equipped to face the emotional and social upheaval of living with an autoimmune disease. On the surface, little would seem to connect someone with Lupus to someone with Alopecia or Vasculitis. Yet in each of these incurable illnesses, an individual is forced to live within a body that is attacking itself. While the NHS provides treatment for the medical, the emotional and psychosocial impact of diagnosis is overlooked leaving people feeling overwhelmed, scared, and lonely. The Wren Project was created to meet this need and offer ongoing, 1-1, free listening support. Highly trained volunteers meet with Wrens (participants, recently diagnosed) for fortnightly 50-minute sessions over video chat. We do not offer medical opinions, judgement or advice. We simply listen. We believe this focused, consistent support can help to alleviate the emotional turmoil of a diagnosis, providing tools for individuals to navigate their disease. The Wren Project is underpinned by direct knowledge of how life-changing a diagnosis of autoimmune disease can be. Our own experience with autoimmune disease has showed us how powerless, lonely, and out of control it can feel when one's body reshapes an imagined future in life. At The Wren Project, we look beyond the specifics of each autoimmune disease to address the lived experiences which connect us. We are a community of people living with autoimmune disease. There is no single language to explain our experiences. We help to create dialogue, grow knowledge, and regain control.