Supporters of national charity put epilepsy in the spotlight
15:42 - 29/06/2011
Supporters of national charity put ep...
Work colleagues from a distribution centre in Leeds are about to embark on a 29-mile sponsored walk to raise money and awareness for national charity Epilepsy Action.
The group, who all work at Spectrum for Arcadia distribution centre, are walking from Skipton to Leeds along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal in memory of Matthew Kirk, who died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in 2009. Matthew was the son of Mick Kirk, a staff member at Spectrum.
Spectrum staff are planning a variety of other fundraising events for Epilepsy Action, including activities such as fancy dress, raffles and a car wash.
Organiser Ray Dingley said: “We all wanted to do something in memory of Matthew and to help other people affected by epilepsy. There will be 20 to 30 work colleagues, friends and family members walking. Hopefully between us we will raise lots of money and raise awareness of Epilepsy Action.”
Around 1 in every 131 people in the UK are affected by epilepsy and 75 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Epilepsy Action provides a range of services for people with epilepsy, including a free helpline, website and specialist nurse scheme. They helped over 845,000 people last year alone.
The national charity also receives support through the annual National Doodle Day competition, in which schools, colleges and other organisations are invited to have fun and submit their doodles to raise awareness about epilepsy. The winners are rewarded with vouchers to spend on equipment and resources. The competition began in 2004 and has since raised over £200,000.
Philippa Cartwright, fundraising events manager at Epilepsy Action, said: “This year’s National Doodle Day has raised almost £19,000 to help support the 456,000 people with epilepsy in the UK.”
The campaign for greater epilepsy awareness also hit headlines this year after the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) began a nationwide campaign, My Purple Pledge, on 26th March.
The campaign, in which people made ‘purple pledges’ to educate the public on epilepsy, culminated at a reception to mark National Epilepsy Week in May, which was attended by Prime Minister’s wife Samantha Cameron.
Lisa Farmer, Director of Fundraising at the NCYPE, commented: “National Epilepsy Week is the perfect time for us to stop and think about how the condition affects the lives of so many of our nation’s young people.”
First Response Training can offer Epilepsy Awareness training. Alison Davis-Thorley, a First Response Training Officer who comes from a nursing background and regularly delivers Epilepsy Awareness training, says: “Delegates on the epilepsy course frequently comment on how interesting they found the training. I delivered a course recently and was told by a delegate afterwards how enlightening it had been for them to discover that epilepsy is a condition, and not an illness. When it comes to training more experienced staff, such as nurses, they always find that it is a great refresher and are pleased with the content of the course.”
Tina Wilson, Learning & Development Office Manager at Dimensions, one of the largest learning disability specialists in England and Wales, adds: “I have always been really impressed with the service-specific training that is provided. The team are always happy to come to a client’s home to train the whole staff team – something that has truly been a great benefit for staff in our organisation. By training the whole staff team together it enables the course to be so much more specific to the needs of the people we support.”
For more information on their Epilepsy Awareness training course, please call First Response today on free phone 0800 310 2300.
The group, who all work at Spectrum for Arcadia distribution centre, are walking from Skipton to Leeds along the Leeds to Liverpool Canal in memory of Matthew Kirk, who died from sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) in 2009. Matthew was the son of Mick Kirk, a staff member at Spectrum.
Spectrum staff are planning a variety of other fundraising events for Epilepsy Action, including activities such as fancy dress, raffles and a car wash.
Organiser Ray Dingley said: “We all wanted to do something in memory of Matthew and to help other people affected by epilepsy. There will be 20 to 30 work colleagues, friends and family members walking. Hopefully between us we will raise lots of money and raise awareness of Epilepsy Action.”
Around 1 in every 131 people in the UK are affected by epilepsy and 75 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Epilepsy Action provides a range of services for people with epilepsy, including a free helpline, website and specialist nurse scheme. They helped over 845,000 people last year alone.
The national charity also receives support through the annual National Doodle Day competition, in which schools, colleges and other organisations are invited to have fun and submit their doodles to raise awareness about epilepsy. The winners are rewarded with vouchers to spend on equipment and resources. The competition began in 2004 and has since raised over £200,000.
Philippa Cartwright, fundraising events manager at Epilepsy Action, said: “This year’s National Doodle Day has raised almost £19,000 to help support the 456,000 people with epilepsy in the UK.”
The campaign for greater epilepsy awareness also hit headlines this year after the National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy (NCYPE) began a nationwide campaign, My Purple Pledge, on 26th March.
The campaign, in which people made ‘purple pledges’ to educate the public on epilepsy, culminated at a reception to mark National Epilepsy Week in May, which was attended by Prime Minister’s wife Samantha Cameron.
Lisa Farmer, Director of Fundraising at the NCYPE, commented: “National Epilepsy Week is the perfect time for us to stop and think about how the condition affects the lives of so many of our nation’s young people.”
First Response Training can offer Epilepsy Awareness training. Alison Davis-Thorley, a First Response Training Officer who comes from a nursing background and regularly delivers Epilepsy Awareness training, says: “Delegates on the epilepsy course frequently comment on how interesting they found the training. I delivered a course recently and was told by a delegate afterwards how enlightening it had been for them to discover that epilepsy is a condition, and not an illness. When it comes to training more experienced staff, such as nurses, they always find that it is a great refresher and are pleased with the content of the course.”
Tina Wilson, Learning & Development Office Manager at Dimensions, one of the largest learning disability specialists in England and Wales, adds: “I have always been really impressed with the service-specific training that is provided. The team are always happy to come to a client’s home to train the whole staff team – something that has truly been a great benefit for staff in our organisation. By training the whole staff team together it enables the course to be so much more specific to the needs of the people we support.”
For more information on their Epilepsy Awareness training course, please call First Response today on free phone 0800 310 2300.
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