Waterloo Road spoilers follow for series 16.

Waterloo Road is gearing up to tackle an important issue in a new storyline played by a former Coronation Street star. As the school drama has just premiered its 16th season, it’s been announced that a new story centred on young student Hope Drake. The character is played by Savannah Kunyo, who previously portrayed Eliza Woodrow on Corrie.

Hope, who has a severe allergy to dairy, experiences anaphylaxis at the school, with her ordeal raising awareness about food allergies.

The pupil is the granddaughter to Headteacher Stella Drake (Lindsey Coulson), meaning that the incident will hit close to home for the school’s leadership.

In the aftermath of Hope’s anaphylaxis, both staff and family have to confront the realities of food allergy and address the need for a prompt emergency response.

Waterloo Road has worked closely with The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation on Hope’s storyline to depict the reality of food allergies and the risks of fatal anaphylaxis as accurately as possible.

“We’re so grateful for the support and guidance from the Natasha Allergy Research Foundation as we wrote the storylines around raising awareness of food allergies in the school environment,” the soap’s executive producer Cameron Roach said in a statement.

“As with many stories in Waterloo Road, the show can be an amazing vehicle to raise issues that young people and families face.”

The founder of The Natasha Allergy Research Foundation Tanya Ednan-Laperouse, whose 15-year-old daughter Natasha died from a food allergy, pointed out that the number of allergy diagnoses in children are on the rise.

“The growing number of children with diagnosed food allergies in schools means that food allergies are a significant issue in the classroom,” she said.

“We are delighted that Waterloo Road chose to highlight the issues and challenges around keeping pupils with food allergies safe in school. We hope this storyline will help raise awareness that food allergies are not a lifestyle choice but a serious medical condition.”

Hope’s storyline will play out in an upcoming episode of the school-set series airing next Tuesday (30 September) at 10.40pm on BBC One. The episode is already available on BBC iPlayer.