Pictured: Torsten Zuberbier of ECARF and Mark
Philip-Sorensen, MD of Cotswold Conference Centre
In the approach to Indoor Allergy Week 2011 [14 to 20 November],
a conference centre in Worcestershire has become the first venue of
its kind in the world to qualify for an international
allergy-friendly award.
Cotswold Conference Centre, on the Farncombe Estate near
Broadway, has been accredited with a prestigious ECARF Seal of
Quality for eight new Allergy Free bedrooms and a wide range of
allergy-friendly policies.
"We are delighted to give this award to Cotswold Conference
Centre, the first dedicated conference venue in the world to earn
the ECARF Seal," says Professor Torsten Zuberbier, an allergy
expert from the European Centre for Allergy Research Foundation.
"Conferences can be a headache for allergy sufferers, who are
confined to meeting rooms and bedrooms with little chance to
escape.
"Allergy at work and at school leads to lower levels of
concentration and achievement. We want to find affordable
ways to make people's lives easier."
One in four people in the UK now suffers from an allergy.
Cotswold Conference Centre's accreditation is an acknowledgement of
a raft of measures to combat the problem.
This autumn, the centre completed a £3.5m bedroom
courtyard of 32 bedrooms, of which eight are designated Allergy
Free. No smoking, pot plants or pets are permitted. Wooden floors
replace carpet, there are blinds instead of curtains and a special
vacuum cleaner gives 99.9% filtration and helps eradicate dust
mites.
In the dining room, kitchen staff deal with a growing number of
allergies: dairy, gluten, peanut, nuts - even celery. In the
bedrooms, delegates allergic to perfume can request fragrance-free
toiletries.
"The body of scientific evidence shows us that allergies are
getting worse," says Professor Zuberbier. "ECARF takes a pragmatic
approach, we do not want to put allergy sufferers into a sterile
box, but offer support for a better life.
"Over-insulated buildings can make things worse. It always helps
to be able to open a window."
Cotswold Conference Centre's operations manager Richard Howdle
has noticed a significant increase in allergic customers in the
past 10 years. "We have many different reactions to deal with these
days," he says. "If you have lactose intolerance, we will offer you
a lactose-free coffee to help you concentrate on your conference or
training.
"If anyone comes to us with an allergy, we do our best to make
their stay just as comfortable as at home."