Thank you so much to everyone who has made 2020 a prosperous year for LDUK!
Despite much of the year being dominated by the pandemic, our supporters still found ways to raise awareness of ticks and Lyme disease. Our annual awareness campaign moved online, and our social media posts reached over 300,000 people during the month of May. In spite of Covid, it was actually our highest ever grossing year, with many of our supporters setting up fundraisers.
Here are some highlights, and you can find a full list of items in our news section:
January
- Justin Bieber created a fresh wave of Lyme disease awareness by revealing his diagnosis. As always when a celebrity speaks out, there was a huge increase in media coverage, and LDUK’s Press Manager, Julia Knight, was inundated with interview requests.
- LDUK attended The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Central England Regional Conference at Eastwood Hall in Nottingham.
February
- LDUK Chair, Natasha Metcalf, was invited to the Rothley Park Golf Club Ladies Charity Lunch, where she gave a talk. She touched on her own personal story, and provided information to raise awareness of the disease.
March
- LDUK supporters, Mark Pembroke and Harry Cambell Lamerton, raised over £1,000 for LDUK by completing forty-five F45 gym classes in 31 days. Mark’s girlfriend, Hannah, suffers from Lyme disease, and Mark was keen to raise money that could be spent on raising awareness and promoting early diagnosis of the illness.
- We celebrated World Book Day by interviewing three of our community members, who have written world-class books based on their experiences with Lyme.
April
- LDUK commissioned a new animation: Enjoy The Outdoors Safely. Created by the very talented RoPu Chen, Adam Duncan and Cedric Fangeat, it raises awareness of how to take precautions against ticks and what to do if you’re bitten.
May
- Due to the pandemic, we ran our annual awareness campaign for the first time entirely online. This was in accordance with the latest government advice on Covid-19 and social distancing. Our aim was to help take pressure off the NHS by continuing to educate the nation on the dangers of tick bites, how to prevent them, and what to do if you’re bitten.
August
- As we made our way through the pandemic, we published an article entitled: Coronavirus Or Lyme Disease? The aim of the article was to explain the similarities and differences in the symptoms of Lyme disease and Covid-19, to ensure that patients receive the correct diagnosis.
- LDUK community member, Jenny Hodges, published an autobiographical book about her battle with Lyme disease.
- The Tour De Kaims Cycle Challenge raised over £1,000 for LDUK.
- We published an article on our website written by LDUK community member, Mandy, who shared her tips on how to engage local councillors in the fight against Lyme.
November
- Lyme disease patient, William Williams, ran a half marathon, and raised over £1,000 for us. William decided to run solo to mirror the isolation many Lyme disease sufferers feel when they are unexpectedly plunged into the illness.
December
- Victoria Turrell ran a Christmas Day Volcanic Marathon in Lanzarote. The fundraiser was set up in support of her mum who suffers with the illness, and she raised over £800!