The 26th of March each year is Purple Day, a time to to get people talking about epilepsy, raise awareness of the condition and raise vital funds. Purple day has been running since 2008 and was created to bring people together to start conversations about epilepsy and raise awareness of the condition.
Epilepsy is not just one condition, but a group of many different ‘epilepsies’ with one thing in common: a tendency to have seizures that start in the brain. Epilepsy is a condition which is often greatly misunderstood but which affects over half a million (around 1 in every 100) people in the UK. The Epilepsy Society has a great page of information about facts and myths related to epilepsy.
Young Epilepsy are another major epilepsy charity in the UK who focus their work on supporting children and young people with epilepsy. They have a great page of ideas and resources to mark Purple Day and get your school raising money to help maintain vital research into epilepsy and to support children with epilepsy and their families.
Young Epilepsy have also produced a number of resources specifically to help schools raise awareness and educate their school community about epilepsy including:
So, whether you plan to ‘Party in Purple’ or have a ‘Wear Purple to School’ day, hold an assembly or run a fundraiser, make the most of Purple Day 2022. Let’s get talking about epilepsy so your whole school community can learn more about this common condition and show support for our friends and colleagues.
Don’t forget to share how you mark Purple Day by sharing your messages and pictures with us on Twitter and Facebook #PurpleDay
This blog has been edited from a previous blog posted in 2021.