The UK Sepsis Trust (UKST) invites London residents to its ‘Sepsis Savvy’ walk in Battersea Park this Sunday.
The event is part of the charity’s second annual Sepsis Savvy walk series, aiming to increase awareness of sepsis – a condition that claims 5 lives per hour in the UK – and raise crucial funds for the charity’s work.
UKST’s London-based Joint CEO Sarah Hamilton-Fairley will lead the 5K walk starting from 11am on Sunday 17th March, alongside the charity’s amazing volunteers.
Sarah said: “Your participation in this walk will energise our mission to save lives that are needlessly lost to sepsis. It will also help us provide crucial support to anyone touched by this devastating condition. Together, we’ll stride with resolve, honouring both survivors and those lost, while amplifying awareness. Please join us as we walk, united in our commitment to saving lives and enhancing patient outcomes.”
Alongside members of the public, sepsis survivors and bereaved families will be in attendance, channelling their personal sepsis experiences in the hope of raising awareness of a condition which affects 245,000 people in the UK each year, claiming 48,000 lives.
The occasion is particularly poignant for Fenola McLaughlin’s family. They said: “We are walking for our amazing Dad & husband, Eddie, who sadly passed away from sepsis. The walk will be extra special for us as he passed away on 17th March one year ago to the day. We will be walking in his memory and thinking of him the whole way round. We hope to help raise awareness of sepsis, so that more lives can be saved.”
Maria Campanini will be walking alongside family in memory of her sister, Gina, who died of sepsis aged 30 the day after sepsis awareness day last year.
Maria said: “The London Sepsis Savvy walk is a chance for every member of our family, whatever their level of fitness, to come together to fundraise and raise awareness of sepsis. Since losing my sister in September last year, we all feel driven to spread the word that sepsis really can affect anybody, even young, fit, and healthy 30-year-olds. This walk is an opportunity to use what happened to Gina to educate other people, and hopefully save lives in doing so.”
Anna Moynihan will be in attendance with her daughter, Cleo, who thankfully survived this appalling condition.
Anna said: “We’re taking part in the London Sepsis Savvy Walk to help raise awareness of sepsis, especially in young children – and to raise vital funds for the UK Sepsis Trust. Our daughter Cleo was seriously ill in 2022 when sepsis was missed. By the time she was diagnosed, it was almost too late and she was in septic shock. If sepsis had been clocked earlier she would have had a faster recovery time and there would have been less trauma for both her and us. Cleo is now four and will be walking the Sepsis Savvy Walk with her friends and family, something so many others aren’t able to do.”
How to participate:
Register for the London Sepsis Savvy walk: https://register.enthuse.com/ps/event/SepsisSavvyWalk2024
If you can’t attend on 17th March, consider organising your own Sepsis Savvy Walk using UKST’s walk toolkits: https://sepsistrust.org/fundraising/ways-to-fundraise-for-us/events/sepsis-savvy-walk-2024/
