Epilepsy Action's Llanelli branch is celebrating the success of a seminar held on Saturday June 21 at the Selwyn Samuel Centre to support people living with epilepsy in the region.
The seminar was opened by Assembly Member for Llanelli, Helen Mary Jones, and over 50 people with an interest in epilepsy attended the event, which featured a number of expert-led discussions on key issues relating to epilepsy.
The event kicked off with in-depth talk by Dr I Sawhney, consultant neurologist at Morriston Hospital, on the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. The session proved to be very interesting, highlighting the advances made in the treatment of epilepsy over recent years. A further session was held on stress, a known trigger of epileptic seizures in some people living with the condition. This session was led by Trish Gwyther and Tim Pope from Wholly Well, a complementary therapy centre in Gorseinon specialising in alternative and complementary therapies. The session looked at problems that may occur if stress is not dealt with, giving tips on how to manage it effectively.
The event also provided the opportunity for an Epilepsy Action Branch Member of the Year Award to be presented to Keith Skivington, chair of the Llanelli branch. Presented by Mike Harnor, chair of the Council of Management for Epilepsy Action, the award was in recognition of Keith's dedicated support of people with epilepsy in the Carmarthenshire region over the past 14 years.
Ann Reynolds, Epilepsy Action's regional services manager for Wales, said: "I'd like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who attended the event, including all the guest speakers who gave up their time to present informative discussions relating to epilepsy. The turn-out was great, and we'll now be looking to organise another information packed seminar later this year."
Epilepsy Action, the UK’s largest member-led epilepsy organisation, has an extensive network of branches throughout the UK. The branches hold regular meetings and offer a variety of social events, informative talks and discussions relating to epilepsy.
The meetings offer the opportunity for people to share their experiences of living with epilepsy and also raise awareness of the condition in the local community. For further information about the work of Epilepsy Action please visit www.epilepsy.org.uk or call the Epilepsy Helpline freephone 0808 800 5050.