NICOLA Sturgeon and other MSPs in Holyrood could be seen wearing purple ribbons in the chamber on Thursday – but what were they for?
The First Minister and former deputy presiding officer Christine Grahame were just two of the politicians wearing the ribbon as Sturgeon was grilled by the opposition at FMQs.
The show of solidarity follows on from “Purple Day”, which fell on Saturday March 26.
Purple Day, created by Cassidy Megan in 2008, is an international epilepsy awareness day, motivated by her own challenges with epilepsy.
The colour purple was chosen because lavender is the recognised international flower of epilepsy. It is said to symbolise isolation and loneliness, often associated with the condition.
Purple Day is now marked around the world by people coming together to start conversations about epilepsy, raise awareness of the condition, and fundraise for treatment, care, and research.
According to Epilepsy Scotland, there are 55,000 people in the nation affected by the condition. Children and older people are most at risk of developing the common serious neurological condition, but anyone can develop epilepsy at any time, and eight people a day in Scotland do.
Anyone looking to make a donation to Epilepsy Scotland can do so here.
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