Knitted purple hearts to go to every MP!

SUDEP Action is sending 650 homemade purple hearts to the House of Commons - one for every MP - ahead of Purple Day on Sunday March 26th. 

The hearts have been handknitted by members of the Knit & Chat group at SUDEP Action's neigbours The Wantage Methodist Church. They began knitting the hearts in January, after the idea was put to them by SUDEP Action CEO Jane Hanna OBE. 

Jane said: "Our Purple Hearts for Purple Day is all about raising awareness of epilepsy risks, including SUDEP, and getting people talking. We hope every MP will wear our heart on Purple Day to show support for us because every week, 21 people die from epilepsy and many of these deaths are among the young and could be prevented. We want to use Purple Hearts for Purple Day to remember those who have died and save more lives."

The Knit & Chat Group has some 12-15 members who meet on the first and third Mondays of the month at Wantage Church. However, in order to ensure every MP got a purple heart for Purple Day, many of the ladies have been knitting furiously at home too. 

They've certainly got through a lot of purple wool this past few months! Carolyn Roche, a member of the group, said: "We're very happy to support our neigbours at SUDEP Action and all they do. In the past we've knitted jumpers for a school in Zambia, blankets for babies at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, gloves for Ukraine, twiddle muffs for people with dementia, emotion dolls, and woolly hats for the homeless. We also knit angels every year which get blessed in the church and sent out all over Wantage."

https://sudep.org/purple-day-2023