St Valentine is recognised as the patron saint of epilepsy so today we’re giving a shout out to our friends at the Epilepsy Society who have been keeping us on our toes lately. We’ve been busy making thousands of cupcake toppers for their annual Purple Day fundraising packs which will be used to help turn the world purple on 26th March 2016.
Anyone involved in Purple Day will know that this international fundraising and awareness day is a big deal and it’s getting bigger by the year. On Purple Day, anything goes (so long as it’s purple) and we take our hats off to the families and friends of the Society who raised a massive £45,000 last year through events including fun runs, coffee mornings, cake sales and dress-down days.
More than half a million people in the UK alone have epilepsy (that’s 1/100), defined as a sudden interruption in the way the brain works. It was first recognised by Hippocrates so it’s been well researched over the years. These days, 40 different types of epilepsy have been identified but it’s very difficult to diagnose and although 70% of cases are controlled with drugs, more research is needed which all costs money.
The Epilepsy Society use the money raised on Purple Day to help support their hospital, the Sir William Gowers Centre which is the national epilepsy assessment and treatment centre, taking patients from the UK and overseas. Funding also goes towards continued research as well as the provision of a helpline and information services for those living with the condition.
We have just shipped off a fresh batch of toppers so it’s not too late to get involved. Purple Day packs are available online from the Epilepsy Society and contain a fundraising guide, poster, stickers, banner, balloons, collection box, leaflets and sponsor forms. The second pack (our favourite) is the Bakers Edition which includes cake toppers, labels and recipe cards.
If you can’t do it yourself but come across any purple people on 26th March, we hope you’ll lend your support to these fun-loving fundraisers and to those of you already planning your big day, the staff at My Cupcake Toppers wish you the very best of luck!