A SUPPORT group for people with epilepsy is desperate to find a new home after its funding was cut last year.
Epilepsy Action’s west London branch has around 35 members, aged 18 to 70, who meet once a month at Ealing Town Hall to provide a network of practical and emotional support.
Ithas been running in the borough for more than 30 years, but could face closure in April following Ealing Council’s decision to halt its annual £1,200 grant, as part of its drive to make £85million of savings.
Thecharity has been nominated in the Barclays Ealing Gazette Let’s Do It awards by committee member Robin Coward, who is fighting to keep the group alive.
He said: “Thegrant is used just to pay for the hall. We are worrying that we may have to break up the group if we can’t raise the money.
“We could move to a church hall, but the town hall is easy to get to and it’s our home.”
ChairwomanBarbara Hawkins joined the group 29 years ago when she saw a woman collecting money for the charity in Greenford Broadway.
Shesuffers from the neurological condition and said the meetings gave her the courage to take the bus and lead an independent life without the fear of having a seizure in public.
“Whatis fabulous about the group is that people may think nobody has the same difficulties as them, but in the workshops they can hear from other people and feel they’re not alone,” she said.
“It’s also about breaking down barriers. Epilepsy is a physical condition but a lot of people think it’s a mental condition.
“Wego into schools to speak to children about it too. If you can explain it to a child that early, it sinks in like blotting paper and they just accept it.”
Workshops allowmembers to talk about the difficulties they may be facing and regular social events ensure they do not struggle on their own.
For more information, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk or call Barbara on 020 8997 8852.
