Purple lights for Crohn’s and Colitis support
Written by John Williamson on 17/05/2018
What has Preston got in common with Vienna, Madrid and Turin? The answer is part of it will be lit up in purple this weekend to mark World Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Day.
From Friday evening until Sunday County Hall will be bathed in purple light to raise awareness of Crohn’s disease and Colitis and how they can affect people’s lives.
Other landmarks that will be lit up in purple around the world to mark World IBD Day, on Saturday 19 May include: The Giant Ferris Wheel, Vienna, Austria; The Mole Antoneliana, Turin, Italy; and The Cibeles Fountain, Madrid, Spain.
The campaign is being supported locally by Lancashire County Council.
Awareness posters will be put up in council buildings and information will be provided to employees and managers about IBD to mark the day. Staff will also be organising fundraising events, such as a coast-to-coast walk.
Estimates suggest more than 4,600 people across Lancashire have IBD. They can suffer from inflammation, swelling and ulceration of the digestive system.
County Councillor Shaun Turner, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, said: “People often refer to Crohn’s and Colitis together as inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).
“Purple is the official world-wide IBD colour, which is why we’ll be lighting County Hall up purple on the day.
“IBD is something people don’t like to talk about, but symptoms can affect people at work and in other areas of their lives.
“Symptoms can include diarrhoea, abdominal pain, tiredness, lack of appetite and weight loss.
“Many people with the conditions are not affected by IBD all the time, there may be flare-ups that affect them more at certain times.
“There is no cure, but the conditions can be controlled by medication. It’s important we help to make more people aware of the diseases so they can get the treatment they need.
“We also want to ensure employers do all they can to support staff who have IBD so they can continue to achieve their full potential.”
For more information about World IBD Day, visit: https://worldibdday.org/
Further details about Crohn’s and Colitis are available at: https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/
