A project that supports young people living with epilepsy is set to reach more than 1,800 young people over the next three years thanks to a £375,000 grant from The National Lottery Community Fund, the largest funder of community activity in the UK.
The Support and Inclusion for Children and Young People with Epilepsy project will work with children and young people aged 11-18 living with the condition in England to help them increase their understanding of epilepsy, improve education outcomes and boost self-confidence.
Through a mixture of one-to-one, group and peer-to-peer support sessions, and signposting to other sources of support and information, the project will help young people manage living day to day life with epilepsy. Our support workers will work with them to improve their wellbeing and confidence, and build their resilience and understanding of the condition, from looking after themselves better, and dealing with their symptoms to navigating school and family relationships.
Mark Devlin, Chief Executive of Young Epilepsy, explained: “Living with epilepsy as a young person can be particularly challenging as, on top of the physical effects of the condition, children and young people face extra struggles such as dealing with the side effects of medication, anxiety about having a seizure or missing out on normal growing-up activities.
“It can also be quite lonely and having an opportunity to share experiences and learn from others in a similar situation can be extremely beneficial, so we are very grateful to the National Lottery and the lottery players for their support in making this project a reality.”
National Lottery players raise over £30 million a week for good causes across the UK. The National Lottery Community Fund distributes a share of this to projects to support people and communities to prosper and thrive.
