The Sheffield and District Branch of national charity, Epilepsy Action, will be celebrating its 20-year anniversary, at an event on Thursday 8 October.
The celebration will run from 7.30pm to 9.00pm at the Quaker Meeting House, St James Street, Sheffield. Branch officers would particularly like to invite along anyone who has been a member or been involved with the branch over the years.
In 2001, the branch was crowned Epilepsy Action Branch of the Year. Recently, the branch raised enough money for two new epilepsy specialist nurses to study for a Professional Diploma in Epilepsy Care. This has helped improve the specialist epilepsy nursing service in the area. The branch continues to work with the local NHS epilepsy service to improve services for people affected by the condition.
The branch has successfully hosted two conferences on epilepsy. The first, in 2000, was the first regional conference held by Epilepsy Action. The second, in 2007, was attended by over 200 delegates. The branch has also organised 15 sponsored walks and through local Accredited Volunteers, has spoken to many local businesses, organisations and individuals.
Duncan Froggatt, Chairman of the Sheffield and District Branch, said: "We are delighted to be celebrating 20 years of supporting people with epilepsy in Sheffield and the surrounding area. We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has supported us over the last 20 years."
Cliff Challenger, regional services manager for Northern England, said: "Reaching the milestone of 20 years is a fantastic achievement. I'd like to congratulate everyone involved with the Sheffield Branch. The efforts of every branch member have directly helped to raise awareness of epilepsy, support people with the condition and improve local epilepsy services."
Epilepsy Action has an extensive network of branches throughout the UK. Branches hold regular meetings and offer a variety of social events and informative talks and discussions relating to epilepsy. 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.