Cardiff Castle to light up orange with 36 other UK landmarks in support of rare genetic condition
This Friday 31st May, Cardiff will be joining towns and cities across the nation in lighting up its landmarks in bright orange to raise awareness for a rare genetic condition, Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).
From sundown, Cardiff Castle will be illuminated in orange in support of those affected by PWS, and to encourage anyone taking part in the nationwide ‘Move it May’ fundraising campaign to complete their journey by heading over to their nearest lit landmark.
Move It May is a month-long celebration that sees people from all walks of life, including those with PWS, challenging themselves to cover a set distance through exercise, whether it be swimming, cycling, running, pushing a wheelchair or any other form of movement.
This year’s challenge serves as a reminder that movement and exercise are vital to those affected by the condition, but also hugely beneficial to the nation at large.
This year, in celebration of the UK lighting up for Prader-Willi, the entire Move it May community is trying to cover the number of steps it would take to walk between each orange landmark – a considerable 2,779km or 3.6 million steps, from Bournemouth to Dundee via Belfast ending in London.
Many of those involved in the challenge will end their journey at their local landmark, wearing as much orange as possible, in celebration of the achievement the entire community has made.
Landmarks including Battersea Power Station, Belfast Castle, Newcastle’s Millenium Bridge and York City Walls are among those which will be glowing orange on the 31st May in support of the condition.
Prader-Willi Syndrome affects approximately 2,000 people in the UK and is a rare complex genetic disorder that impacts both males and females from birth and throughout their lives, causing an overwhelming and uncontrollable drive to eat that can be life-limiting, as well as learning and physical disabilities.
Jackie Lodge, CEO of PWSA UK and Catherine Shaw of FPWR UK issued a joint statement on the day: “This is a huge step for our PWS community. Our respective charities have, for the first time, come together for PWS awareness month and have been able to make this even more special with the Glow Orange campaign. It is vitally important to raise awareness and funds to help our PWS community’.
For more information on Prader-Willi Syndrome, you can visit www.pwsa.co.uk or www.fpwr.org.uk.