A Stoke Newington mum with a son crippled by severe allergies has started a support group to help people who are also affected.

Alexa Baracaia, of Bouverie Road, started the group after experiencing the trauma of constantly ensuring her three-year-old son Sidney was protected from his multiple allergies, which include nuts, sesame, eggs and lentils.

Alexa said: “I helped start the group because having a child diagnosed with severe, potentially life threatening allergies has a profound impact on your daily life. It can cause a great deal of stress and anxiety.

“In the beginning, you worry that anything they eat could threaten their life. As time goes on you have to navigate new challenges all the time: nursery, school, parties, get togethers with friends and family, travel, even just finding safe food in the supermarket. They are all things most families can take for granted, but which are fraught with worry for the parents of an allergic child.

“Bringing parents together in a support group environment isa great way to share advice, support and experiences with others going through the same thing, and to regain some of the control you feel that you’ve lost.”

The condition, also called anaphylaxis affects five to eight per cent of children and two to four per cent of adults, and kills an estimated 20 people each year in the UK.

The support group is run conjunction with the Anaphylaxis Campaign, the only national charity to support people with severe, life threatening allergies.

Anaphylaxis Campaign CEO, Lynne Regent said: “It’s brilliant that Alexa has decided to run a support group for us in

Hackney. Many people in the general population do not understand just how serious allergy and anaphylaxis can be. Our support groups, like the one Alexais running, provide a vital touch point for affected families and individuals and are a really positive way for them to support each other. ”

To book a place at the next meeting on September 27, go to: anaphylaxis.org.uk/events.