Paint the town purple!

We are delighted to be supporting the National Charity Young Epilepsy. Young Epilepsy’s aim is simple - creating better futures for young lives with epilepsy. Whether a young person with epilepsy, parent or carer, teacher or clinician, the charity Young Epilepsy is there to help. Young Epilepsy works in partnership with Great Ormond Street Hospital  and the University College London’s Institute of Child Health. It deals with some of the children in the UK with the most complex forms of epilepsy which often leads to profound difficulties. The charity campaigns for improved epilepsy services for children and young people throughout the UK through its Champions for Childhood Epilepsy Campaign educating teachers in schools. Epilepsy effects around 112,000 young adults in the UK.

Young Epilepsy’s headquarters in Lingfield, Surrey includes residential and day provision at St Piers School and their Further Education College. Also on the site is the award winning Neville Childhood Epilepsy Centre, which hosts a range of diagnostic, assessment and rehabilitation services, along with the Childhood Epilepsy Information Service. For more information see www.youngepilepsy.org.uk.

For some young people seizures can cause learning problems and the AED’s can lead to unwanted side effects. Added to that stigma leaves many young people battling low self esteem, bullying and a lack of understanding and as a result Young Epilepsy are proud to announce their 2012 My Purple Pledge.

Here at Easylink UK we are proud to be My Purple Pledge’s first commercial partner for this nationwide fundraising campaign. The campaign encourages individuals and companies to do all things purple in a bid to help raise some of the £1.5 million they need to each year to continue to provide the services they do.

Pledges could range from wearing purple to work or school, baking and selling purple cakes, taking part in a Purple Zumba, or even being sponsored to lie in a bath of blackcurrant juice! Anything goes and the quirkier the better!  ‘My Purple Pledge’ coincides with Purple Day (26 March 2012), the international day to mark epilepsy awareness.

My Purple Pledge is backed by a series of famous faces including Commonwealth, European and World Champion 400 metre hurdler Dai Greene. Dai said: “My Purple Pledge aims to put epilepsy on the map and make people aware of what it really means. I’m fully behind the campaign and will be pledging purple to help improve the lives of a lot of young people with epilepsy. I’m hoping that as many people as possible will be ‘in the purple’ for the 26th March and help raise desperately needed funds for such a deserving cause.”

“Epilepsy effects over 112,000 children and young people under the age of 25 – including myself - and is the most common neurological condition in the UK.  Despite this, it’s still relatively unknown and has little awareness.”

Lisa Farmer, Director of Fundraising at Young Epilepsy, commented: “My Purple Pledge is a fun way of generating awareness about a very serious condition.  All monies raised through the campaign will be used to provide life-changing support through our special school, college, medical centre and residential homes.  Ultimately, it will help young people with epilepsy across the country to fulfil their potential.”

Please visit www.mypurplepledge.com for more information or follow My Purple Pledge on Twitter @purplepledge.

Easylink UK’s Mike Dines said ““We are supporting the national charity Young Epilepsy’s My Purple Pledge 2012 to help with their mission to better future lives for young people with epilepsy. There is still a widespread lack of understanding and awareness surrounding epilepsy and they offer great support, advice and facilities to children, young adults and families across the UK. Please help them doing all things purple and visit www.mypurplepledge.co.uk  for more details on how you can help”