THE NARCOLEPSY UK (NUK) Big Meet Up event was our way of celebrating European Narcolepsy Awareness Day 2015.
NUK’s networking groups have been growing steadily and when we asked you to arrange meet ups on the weekend of March 14-15, you responded. We had a total of 12 meetings taking place all over the UK, most taking place on the Sunday and a couple took place on the weekend before. It was a chance to meet up with friends, make new ones and raise awareness.
Meeting places varied from cafes, pubs and restaurants to social clubs and health organisations. You made cakes and cookies, sourced raffle prizes, gave out leaflets and had a jolly good chinwag.
Many of you raised money too, and top of the class is Jade Stevens, from Bracknell, who raised £500 with her cake sale and raffle. Family and friends also benefited from meeting others in a similar situation to themselves. Some met another person with narcolepsy for the first time and told us of friendliness, relief at knowing others have the same challenges and learning how they manage day to day. Meetings took place in Bracknell, Cornwall, Edinburgh, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Northampton, Suffolk, Swindon, Teeside, Weston-Super-Mare and Wrexham.
Our friends in Ireland at Sufferers Of Unique Narcolepsy Disorder (SOUND) held an event on the weekend of March 8, which was also hugely successful.
Thank you to all who hosted or attended a meeting and helped spread awareness on the day. It really felt like the community of people with narcolepsy in the UK and Ireland came together.
Many of you have already decided on further meetings in your area. This day was such a success that we plan to have another similar day in about six months time – or why not become a volunteer and arrange a meet up close to you?