We are delighted to share the news that the My Moving Brain series which has been led by our colleagues in FutureNeuro, has been shortlisted for a Chambers Ireland Sustainable Business Impact Award.
FutureNeuro are the Research Ireland Centre for Translational Brain Science, and they conduct world-leading epilepsy research at the Centre – meaning we have a very close working relationship and this is one of many reasons why Epilepsy Ireland are project partners on the My Moving Brain series.
The series so far has held events in Dublin, Cork and Maynooth – with Galway being the next county on the hitlist with an event later this year - and the series has been shortlisted within the Community Programme category of the Sustainable Business Impact Awards.
The series aims to highlight the importance of brain health, physical activity and how neurological conditions like epilepsy do not have to be a barrier to a person’s participation in sporting activities.
Unfortunately, there have been instances of people approaching our service who have not been included in a sporting activity due to their epilepsy. Often, this is simply down to a lack of awareness of the condition and when simple safety measures are put in place, a person with epilepsy can fully participate.
Through the My Moving Brain series, we have been able to reach a large and varied group of people in local communities (including representatives from sports clubs and coaches) with this key message via Epilepsy Ireland volunteers and supporters speaking about their lived experience of epilepsy while participating in sport. This has included Emma Beamish, speaking about her lived experience of epilepsy while playing international cricket for Ireland; Bernie Hart speaking about her epilepsy warrior Aine’s passion for GAA; Deputy Eoghan Kenny highlighting his experiences with epilepsy; and last but not least, central to each event has been Dr. Michael McKillop MBE, who has not only expertly MC’d each event, but also shared his personal experience of life with epilepsy while becoming a four-time paralympic champion – alongside many other accolades.
Alongside these and many other incredible speakers living with a variety of neurological conditions, we have also had other expert inputs from people familiar to the wider epilepsy community – including Professors Danny Costello & Norman Delanty, while Epilepsy Ireland team members have also been on hand at each event to provide information to attendees about a condition that affects over 45,000 people in Ireland today.
We are delighted that the impact of the My Moving Brain series has been recognised in being shortlisted as part of this highly competitive national award – and we at Epilepsy Ireland have everything crossed that there will be even better news to share following the announcement of the overall winner in late September.
In the meantime, congratulations to our colleagues in FutureNeuro for being shortlisted for this accolade and to all our fellow partners on the My Moving Brain project. You can look back at **some** of the highlights from previous events at the end of this article.
If you or a loved one need any information or support on your journey with epilepsy, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Local Service’ page on our website.