A Cardiff man, who has epilepsy, has climbed 334 spiral steps up the Clock Tower of Big Ben today. Andrew Hackett has climbed the tower on behalf of charity Epilepsy Action in celebration of Purple Day (26 March), a worldwide epilepsy awareness day.
Andrew climbed the top of the 150 year-old Clock Tower to hear Big Ben strike the hour. He was joined by 11 others with epilepsy, including MPs Paul Maynard and Laura Sandys and representatives from other epilepsy organisations. Following the climb, Andrew met with a group of MPs, who showed their support for Purple Day.
Until recently, people with epilepsy have been advised not to take the tour, even though they are not at greater risk of accident or injury than in any other situation.
Previous guidance placed epilepsy among a list of health conditions that prevented a visitor from taking part in the tours. After Epilepsy Action brought this to the attention of the Safety, Health and Wellbeing team at Westminster, the policy was revised.
Andrew Hackett said: “There are many aspects of life in which people who suffer from epilepsy face automatic exclusion, which is often unfair. I believe this is sometimes due to a continued level of fear, ignorance and discrimination which continues to subsist in our society as epilepsy is a ‘hidden’ disability. Climbing Big Ben is one such activity, which I am proud to now be permitted to take part in, in order to help raise awareness of the problems people with epilepsy face on a daily basis.”
Peter Scott, campaigns and policy officer at Epilepsy Action, said: “Although quite minor, this was a form of discrimination. It is important that the government gets its equality
policies right and leads by example, if it expects others to follow. The Purple Day climb is a great way to raise awareness of epilepsy and celebrate the fact that people with the condition can now climb the Clock Tower.“
Purple day began back in 2008 and has since become the international day for epilepsy awareness. Founded in Canada by Cassidy Megan, Purple Day is celebrated throughout the world and strives to raise awareness of, and dispel the myths associated with epilepsy.
Epilepsy affects one in every 103 people in the UK alone and 87 people are diagnosed with the condition every day. Last year Epilepsy Action directly helped 1.1 million people through a range of services, including its Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050, branch network, specialist nurse scheme and award-winning website, www.epilepsy.org.uk
For more information about Epilepsy Action and Purple Day, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk/purpleday