A Witham mum, whose son has epilepsy, is organising a musical variety concert for charity. Vanessa Thomas will host an evening of music by local artists on Friday 6 July at Witham Public Hall. Vanessa will be raising vital funds for national charity Epilepsy Action. The charity provides advice and support to the 600,000 people with epilepsy in the UK.
Vanessa is organising the event, called Let Us Entertain You, as her 16 year-old son, Marley, has epilepsy. She is hoping the event will raise money for Epilepsy Action as well as raise awareness of the condition. As well as performances by local musicians, there will also be a raffle on the night. Prizes have been donated by local companies and members of the public.
Vanessa, 47, said: “My son has epilepsy and due to this I have discovered that there is not enough awareness of epilepsy. A lot of people don’t understand what having epilepsy means. So me and my children got together to organise this event to raise more awareness of epilepsy and help raise money to support other families affected by the condition.
“Almost everyone involved is local to the Witham area and are regularly involved in local shows and concerts. Everyone is doing this completely voluntarily. There are lots of talented people taking part and I’m looking forward to bringing local people together for a good cause.”
The event takes place at 7.00pm on Friday 6 July at Witham Public Hall, Collingwood Hall, Witham. Tickets prices range from £6 to £10, with a reduction for concessions. To buy tickets visit www.withampublichall.co.uk or call 0845 017 8717.
All proceeds will go to Epilepsy Action. The money raised by will help to support the charity’s work all over the UK. Epilepsy Action campaigns to improve epilepsy services and raise awareness of epilepsy. It also provides a national network of support groups, funds a specialist nurse scheme, holds regular regional conferences and has a freephone and email helpline.
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 its range of services.
For more information about epilepsy and Epilepsy Action, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk