Epilepsy Action
{{Short description|British charitable organisation}}
{{For|the unconnected Australian epilepsy organisation|Epilepsy Action Australia}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=April 2019}}
{{Infobox organisation
| name = Epilepsy Action
| services = Epilepsy advice and information
| website = {{URL|https://www.epilepsy.org.uk}}
| formation = {{start date and age|df=yes|1950|09|05}}{{cite web |title=Epilepsy Action History Wall 1950-2010 |url=https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/sites/epilepsy/files/images/about/epilepsyaction-historywall.pdf |publisher=Epilepsy Action |access-date=16 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004083030/https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/sites/epilepsy/files/images/about/epilepsyaction-historywall.pdf |archive-date=4 October 2015}}
| type = Charitable organisation
| registration_id = 234343{{EW charity|234343|British Epilepsy Association}}
| headquarters = Yeadon, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| coords = {{coord|53.86441|-1.69408|region:GB_type:landmark}}
| membership_year = 2023
| leader_title = President
| leader_name = Margaret Ford, Baroness Ford
| leader_title2 = Chair
| leader_name2 = Jane Riley{{cite web |title=Council of Management |url=https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/about/council |website=Epilepsy Action |access-date=17 March 2023}}
| leader_title3 = Chief executive
| leader_name3 = Rebekah Smith{{cite web |title=Council of management, updates from council meeting 4 February 2025 |url=https://www.epilepsy.org.uk/about/council |website=Epilepsy Action |access-date=4 March 2025}}
| revenue_year = 2023
| staff_year = 2023
| founder = Lady Cynthia Colville
| former name = British Epilepsy Association (1950-2002)
}}
Epilepsy Action is a British charity providing information, advice and support for people with epilepsy.
Activities
Epilepsy Action provides freephone and email helplines and a wide range of information booklets, web pages and e-learning courses. It has around 100 local support groups across England, Wales and Northern Ireland and a network of volunteers working in the community. It also organises conferences for people with epilepsy and health professionals with an interest in the condition. It also has a website that includes information about epilepsy.
It undertakes and encourages non-laboratory research into epilepsy and the issues surrounding living with the condition.
Since 2008, the charity has organised the annual Bradford 10K athletics race which in 2019 attracted 3,000 runners.{{cite news|date=17 March 2019|title='3,000 runners tackle Bradford's biggest ever 10K'|publisher=Telegraph and Argus|url=https://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/17507077.3000-runners-tackle-bradfords-biggest-ever-10k/|access-date=26 February 2020}}
Campaigns
The charity has received international media coverage on a number of occasions due to its work in highlighting bad practice in online videos in relation to photosensitive epilepsy.
- In 2007, it claimed that 30 people had seizures as a result of a segment of animated footage commissioned by the organising committee of the London 2012 Summer Olympics to promote its logo.{{Cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1554361/Olympics-inquiry-into-logo-launch-seizures.html|title=Olympics inquiry into logo-launch seizures|last=Bond|first=David|date=13 June 2007|language=en-GB|issn=0307-1235}}{{cite news |title=London 2012 Olympics withdraw film after seizures |url=http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/archive/20070605.html |access-date=24 March 2023 |publisher=Epilepsy Action |date=6 June 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071123111401/http://www.epilepsy.org.uk/news/archive/20070605.html |archive-date=23 November 2007}}
- In 2011, Epilepsy Action highlighted issues with the video for the Kanye West song "All of the Lights". Tests of the video showed that it failed the flashing images guidelines set down by UK broadcasting watchdog Ofcom and so was likely to trigger a seizure in someone with photosensitive epilepsy. A warning was placed on YouTube for people watching the video on its website.{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1658702/kanye-west-all-of-the-lights-music-video/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505200135/http://www.mtv.com/news/1658702/kanye-west-all-of-the-lights-music-video/|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 May 2014|title='Kanye West's 'All Of The Lights' Video Gets Epilepsy Warning'|publisher=MTV News|date=25 February 2011}}
- In 2015, it highlighted the presence of advertisements with flashing content that were posted on Vine by Twitter. The Advertising Standards Authority confirmed that Twitter were in breach of its guidelines.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-33477567|title='Epilepsy charity criticises Twitter for flashing ads'|publisher=BBC News|date=10 July 2015}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.epilepsy.org.uk Official website]
{{Seizures and epilepsy}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Epilepsy organizations
Category:Health charities in the United Kingdom
Category:Organizations established in 1950