We were delighted to recently receive confirmation from Science Foundation Ireland, that a joint project between Epilepsy Ireland and our colleagues in FutureNeuro and the Neurological Alliance of Ireland (NAI) has been granted funding.
The project, entitled ‘My Moving Brain’ is being led by FutureNeuro, and will run for two years. The three organisations will work with Local Sports Partnerships to strengthen the link between brain health and sport, as well as encouraging the inclusion of people with epilepsy and other neurological conditions in sport.
Epilepsy is not a barrier to a person’s participation in sport in most cases. However, there have been instances of people approaching our service who have not been included in a sporting activity due to their epilepsy. More often than not, 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.
This project will investigate this and more, via regional workshops and educational sessions which are set to take place over the next two years. From an Epilepsy Ireland perspective, this will be a fantastic opportunity to further educate those involved in local sporting activities about epilepsy.
Commenting on the approval of funding for this project, our CEO Peter Murphy said:
The participation and inclusion of people with epilepsy in sport is very important and any project which aims to address and encourage this is to be welcomed. Given our strong history of collaboration with both FutureNeuro and the Neurological Alliance of Ireland, I have no doubt that this will be another positive chapter in our continuing relationship, and we are excited at the prospect of bringing the My Moving Brain project to communities across Ireland.
We will be posting further information on the collaboration on our website and social media channels in the coming months. In the meantime, to learn more about Epilepsy and Sport, you can visit the ‘Lifestyle’ section of our website.
If you need any further information or advice regarding your or your loved one’s epilepsy, please do not hesitate to contact your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Local Services’ section of our website.