There is one child with epilepsy in every primary school and five in every secondary school, and 112,000 people aged 25 and under live with the condition. For Purple Day, we built Young Epilepsy's broadcast PR campaign around its call for the nation to make a 'My Purple Pledge', from wearing purple to baking purple cakes, turning pledges into pounds towards its £60,000 target. We put a representative of the charity and an actor from a BBC drama series who lives with epilepsy on air across a radio day of interviews. The campaign secured 26 items of radio coverage reaching 2.4 million people, including BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Sheffield and BBC Radio Manchester.
26Items of coverage
2.4 millionCombined reach
2h 41mTime on air
Coverage highlights
BBC Radio KentBBC radio
BBC Radio SheffieldBBC radio
BBC Radio ManchesterBBC radio
The story
Young Epilepsy, Purple Day
The aim
Young Epilepsy wanted to raise the profile of its My Purple Pledge campaign and help raise £60,000 for young people affected by epilepsy.
The message
Young Epilepsy urged people to turn their pledges into pounds, from wearing purple to baking purple cakes, to help young people living with epilepsy.
The angle
One child in every primary school and five in every secondary school live with epilepsy, and 112,000 people aged 25 and under have the condition. With purple its symbolic colour, the charity urged the nation to make its own 'My Purple Pledge'.
On air
A representative of the charity and an actor from a BBC drama series who lives with epilepsy
The result
26 items of coverage reaching 2.4 million, including BBC Radio Kent, BBC Radio Sheffield, BBC Radio Manchester.
About Purple Day
Purple Day is a global epilepsy awareness day held every year on 26 March, when people are encouraged to wear purple. It was started in 2008 by a young girl from Nova Scotia in Canada. In the UK the children and young people's charity Young Epilepsy supports and promotes it. Stations plan their coverage of it in advance, which makes it a strong hook for a broadcast PR campaign.
Planning Purple Day for 2027?
Purple Day next falls on Friday 26 March 2027. Talk to the team about a broadcast PR campaign that gets your spokesperson on radio and TV.
