Ataxia Awareness Day in Exeter

On 15 June, the streets of Exeter were filled with people spreading the word of ‘ataxia:’ a progressive and debilitating neurological condition that affects 10,000 people in the UK.

Yesterday afternoon in Bedford Square, members of Ataxia UK’s South West Branch held an awareness stall as part of a local awareness campaign, asking the public: ‘I know what ataxia is, do you?’

Ataxia affects mobility, speech and movement. It’s progressive, and there’s no cure. Its symptoms mimic inebriation and only 10% of the population have heard of it. People with ataxia have been asked to leave restaurants; detained from boarding planes; even mistakenly arrested for seeming drunk and disorderly.

This campaign aims to challenge these misconceptions in the South West. The campaign launched in early June with a speech from the Lord Mayor of Exeter Cllr Lesley Robson, and posters adorning Exeter’s train station platforms and city buses. It will finish in early July with an Ataxia Training Day for healthcare professionals held at the Met Office.

The model of the campaign posters, Bex Downing from Exeter, also took part in a photo shoot with the buses yesterday along with her young daughter Ava.

Ataxia UK funds research to find treatments and cures. They offer support to families affected by ataxia, and looks to improve treatment and care for patients. For more information visit www.ataxia.org.uk or www.facebook.com/ataxiauk.