We’re bringing Colin the Colon to Glasgow!

Have you ever met a giant, walk-through inflatable colon? Here’s your chance! We’re bringing Colin the Colon to Glasgow to raise vital awareness of digestive health conditions.

Colin the Colon is a much-loved member of the team here at Guts UK, the national charity for the digestive system. When inflated, Colin is an incredible 5.5m high, 5.5m wide, and 2.4m long. His role at our charity is simple: to raise awareness of digestive conditions and what they look like, plus spark important conversations surrounding digestive health in a way that is accessible and free of stigma.

Colin the Colon and the team from Guts UK will be at The Forge shopping centre in Glasgow on Thursday 26 June from 8.30am to 6:00pm. This immersive experience enables members of the public to walk through the inflatable colon and explore its many digestive conditions, including Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticular disease, plus learn what polyps look like.

As well as exploring Colin, team members will also be on hand to raise awareness of digestive health, explain our services, and discuss queries about the digestive system, including signposting to appropriate support. Information leaflets for common digestive health conditions will also be available to take home.

Talking about Colin coming to Glasgow, Guts UK Chief Executive Suzanne Hudson said:

“We always get a really positive reaction to Colin. We can’t wait to bring him to Glasgow and meet everyone at The Forge shopping centre. People can’t help but stop and look twice when they see a large inflatable colon. Colin is a visual representation of our invisible and misunderstood digestive system and he creates much-needed conversations surrounding our gut health, and we love him for that. He is a vital part of our team. Helping the UK to get to grips with guts, one venue at a time.​”

Guts UK is the only UK charity funding research into the whole digestive system. Our work focuses on three main areas, which include providing information and support for those living with digestive conditions and symptoms, funding life-changing research into the whole digestive system, and delivering public education and awareness campaigns and events.

Whilst in Glasgow, Colin and the team are also attending the BSG LIVE. Over 2,500 medical professionals attend this annual conference, which will take place at Glasgow Convention Centre between 23-26 June. The event features more than 80 educational sessions, as well as hands-on training and a large exhibition to provide delegates with the latest updates in clinical care and research in gastroenterology and hepatology.

Lorna’s story

Lorna, aged 56, from Glasgow shares the support she received from Guts UK and highlights the importance of raising awareness of digestive conditions.

Lorna first experienced worrying symptoms back in 2019 and initially believed she had food poisoning and visited her GP over several weeks. Lorna said: “I lost two and a half stone in weight. If I went out, I had to make sure I was near a toilet. I’d even wake up at night with urgency.”

Talking about her diagnosis, Lorna continued:

“Under the care of gastroenterology, I had an endoscopy (a camera down the throat) and a colonoscopy (a camera to check my bowels). After going home, I couldn’t move for a week and a half without soiling myself. I was passing pure watery stool and dreaded eating, even though I was so weak.

“I was also started on prescribed steroids and had times where I felt more okay, until I started to taper off them, then my symptoms came back.

“Four weeks later, the biopsy results showed that I have collagenous microscopic colitis.”  

Microscopic colitis (MC) is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Symptoms include watery diarrhoea, along with urgency and bowel control issues. People often have nighttime symptoms, which can be unrelenting. People affected often need to find toilets when they leave home to avoid accidents. In some cases, people are unable to leave the house at all due to the severity of their symptoms. Symptoms can be severe and lead to a substantial loss of quality of life.

“After my diagnosis, I was never given any information. I was left to learn about my condition myself. This is when I came across Guts UK charity’s information.

“Microscopic colitis needs to be recognised more for what it is. I feel the professionals don’t know much about it, and nobody picked up on the warning signs sooner. There also needs to be more awareness and support. I don’t want anyone to go through what I have, and I’d love to help contribute to more public awareness of microscopic colitis, as awareness is vital to steer future research on the condition.  

“My advice to others is that nobody knows your body better than you, and it’s so important to remember that. If something isn’t right, don’t ignore it. Listen to your body and know that you’re not alone.”