How the 'Purple Princess' is teaching Guildford school children about epilepsy
It is a play that has been created by SWR and the Guildford Shakespeare Company
South Western Railway and the Guildford Shakespeare Company have teamed up to raise awareness of epilepsy.
The new school play the 'Purple Princess' aims to educate children on what to do if they see someone having a seizure.
This May and June the play will be shown to school children in the Guildford area.
It was inspired by Director Indiana Lown-Collins who has uncontrolled epilepsy and her personal experience of having a seizure on a train.
The Purple Princess is named after Purple Day, the international day for epilepsy awareness,
The guidance within the play is taken from The Epilepsy Society’s “Calm, Cushion, Call” campaign.
The three simple instructions – stay calm, cushion their head with something soft and call for an ambulance – are the basis of seizure first aid and could help save a life.
Indiana Lown-Collins, Director of The Purple Princess, said:
“1 in 20 people will have a seizure in their lifetime and many more will witness one. Knowing what to do is crucial and can save someone’s life.
"Living with a disability, such as epilepsy, can feel very isolating, as the condition is widely misunderstood.
"The common misconception that epilepsy doesn’t affect your normal life is hard to deal with. On many occasions, I
"I've feared for my life because I couldn’t get the help I needed. Hopefully, by raising awareness, people with epilepsy will have a more positive path through life.”
Serena Bowen, Teacher at Guildford Grove Primary School said:
“The Purple Princess was a wonderful way to introduce such an important and relevant subject to our children.
"The pre-teaching ideas helped prepare the children for the performance and the Q and A session showed how deeply they had thought about how epilepsy would impact on a person’s life and how they could help if faced with such a situation.
"The actors pitched the story and information perfectly and the children left the hall feeling empowered and happy.”