Big Purple Quiz support for the Charlie Card
Quiz night supports Charlie Cards in memory of Charlie Marriage.
A charity quiz night hosted by Switalskis and Serjeants’ Inn raised £5,350 for SUDEP Action’s Charlie Cards initiative.
The event brought together colleagues, friends, family members and supporters in memory of Charlie Marriage, who tragically died from SUDEP in 2021.
Hosted by quizmaster Matthew Holloway of Serjeants’ Inn, the event was a tremendous success with people generously supporting the cause through ticket sales, raffle entries and donations.
David Thomas, Director at Switalskis, said: “This cause is incredibly close to our hearts. We have come to know Charlie’s family personally and have seen first-hand the dedication they have shown in turning their loss into something that can help others. Supporting the Charlie Cards initiative was therefore about much more than fundraising – it was about helping to continue Charlie’s legacy and supporting a cause that means a great deal to all of us.
“The impact of the Charlie Cards is remarkable. Such a simple card can provide people with epilepsy with the information they need to access emergency medication at a critical time. Knowing that the funds raised will help produce more than 2,330 additional cards is something we are immensely proud of and we are grateful to everyone who helped make the evening such a success.”
Henrietta Hastings, Charlie’s mother, added: “Charlie Cards were created to help prevent other families facing the challenges that Charlie experienced. Every card distributed is another opportunity to empower someone living with epilepsy with information that could prove invaluable in an emergency. We are incredibly grateful to everyone who supported this event and helped raise funds to continue that work.”
The funds raised will help ensure that thousands more Charlie Cards can be produced and distributed, supporting people with epilepsy and helping them access the medication they need when regular supplies are unavailable.
Charlie Marriage died from SUDEP in June 2021 after spending two days trying to get his anti-seizure medication via NHS 111, his health centre and his local pharmacy in London. Charlie’s family joined forces with SUDEP Action and the Independent Pharmacies Association to create the ‘Charlie Card’ – to let people with epilepsy know their legal right to emergency medications in a crisis.
The Charlie Card provides people with epilepsy with something they can show to health professionals to remind them of their legal right to a minimum emergency supply of their regular anti -seizure meds (except Phenobarbitone) from any chemist, until their next prescription. This is under the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. The cards were created by SUDEP Action in conjunction with Charlie’s family and are available to anyone with epilepsy for free.
Find out more about the Charlie Card here.
