May is Lyme Disease Awareness Month and every year, Lyme Disease UK runs a national Wake Up To Lyme campaign!
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection, usually caused by the bite of an infected tick. Our campaign aims to raise awareness of how to prevent tick bites, how to safely remove ticks, and the importance of early treatment for people who become unwell, following a bite.
Ticks can be found in every county across the UK and can be as small as poppy seeds, so can easily be missed. If you spend a lot of time outdoors or you own a pet, you may be at higher risk of being bitten.
Raising awareness of Lyme disease is of the utmost importance, as a late diagnosis or misdiagnosis can lead to serious long-term health problems, including neurological and cardiac issues.
Whether you’re a member of the public, an outdoor organisation, or a Lyme disease patient, there are 10 top ways you can help to raise awareness this May.
1. Share our awareness materials
We would be delighted if you would share our awareness materials below. These include awareness videos, posters, leaflets, and tick cards.
- Awareness videos
We have developed four awareness videos that can be shared via one handy link.
These include:
- Our Wake Up To Lyme 2023 campaign video.
- An animation explaining how to prevent tick bites, and what to do if you’re bitten.
- An animation for health professionals on the diagnosis, testing and treatment of Lyme disease.
- An animation explaining what it’s like to live with late Lyme disease.
- Awareness posters, leaflets, and tick cards
Our awareness posters, leaflets, and tick cards can be downloaded and shared via email, social media, or newsletter. They can also be printed off at home.
If you’re choosing to raise awareness on social media, please use the hashtag #WakeUpToLyme to get us trending. You can also find some suggestions for wording to include in your social media posts here.
Alternatively, you can request hard copies of leaflets or tick cards via email and we will post these out to you for free!
2. Take part in Light Up For Lyme
Every May, buildings and landmarks recognise Lyme Disease Awareness Month by lighting up in green.
Light-ups are organised by our supporters up and down the UK, and some really memorable landmarks have taken part in the past!
This year, Tower 42, the Spinnaker Tower, and Marischal College have already been confirmed, and no doubt there will be many more!
If you’re looking to contact your favourite landmark, we’ve put together an email template for you to use. Or, perhaps you’re an organisation looking to show your support by lighting up your premises! Learn more about Light Up For Lyme here.
3. Take part in Wear Lime For Lyme on the 5th of May
A key date for the diary is Wear Lime For Lyme Day on the 5th of May! We would be delighted if you and/or your pets would take part by dressing up in lime green! Or, how about getting your office involved for a dress down day?
We’re selling Wake Up To Lyme T-shirts, doggy bandanas, and lapel pins to mark the occasion! More information can be found here.
4. Take part in our campaign for schools
We would be thrilled if schools could take part in our Wake Up To Lyme campaign this May!
Tick awareness activities can be incorporated into lesson planning, or why not join in our poster design competition?
If you’re a parent of a school-aged child, you can also help! We would be grateful if you could share the link to our campaign with your child’s school and encourage them to take part.
Our schools page contains all of the information you need to get involved!
5. Share your patient story with the press or media
If you’re a Lyme disease patient and want to help raise awareness, one of the most powerful ways we can do this is by sharing our stories with the press and media. Together, we could reach millions with our vital messages.
If it’s something you feel comfortable with, we would be grateful if you could contact newspapers, magazines, radio, or TV stations to share your story with them.
To make things easier for you, we’ve put together a full list of media contacts, as well as a step-by-step guide to writing your story.
6. Take part in #TickWatch
Spotted a tick? Turn your tick sighting into a positive thing by helping to raise awareness! Please send us an email with a photo of the tick and your location, and we’ll share it on our social media channels for our #TickWatch feature.
7. Add our Wake Up To Lyme logo to your Twitter and Facebook profile photos
Add our Wake Up To Lyme logo to your profile photos on Twitter and Facebook here. Select the option ‘Add to Twitter’, or ‘Add to Facebook’.
8. Write to your GP, pharmacist, or other health professionals
Please write to your GP, pharmacist, or other health professionals and ask them to take the RCGP e-learning course on Lyme disease. You could also ask if they’d be open to displaying our awareness materials.
9. Host your own fundraising and awareness event
Hosting a fundraising and awareness event this May is a fun way to take part in our Wake Up To Lyme campaign! How about joining our WoW Challenge by walking or running 20km, or how about wheeling 100km?
If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there are many other ideas listed on our fundraising page.
We can also send you a complimentary selfie frame, running vest, and fundraising bucket to make your day really special!
Thank you
Thank you so much for reading our top 10 ways to take part in our Wake Up To Lyme campaign this May! We hope you’ve stumbled across an idea that’s sparked your interest and together, we can help to spread awareness and prevent future cases of Lyme disease.
Last year, you helped us to reach around a million people with our awareness information! What say we double that number this year?!
We are really grateful for your support and a special thanks goes to everyone who has made this campaign possible through donations. Our campaign simply wouldn’t be possible without them and every penny truly makes a difference.
Further donations can be made here, and if you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with us. Our Campaign Manager, Caroline Fearnley, would be delighted to hear from you via email.
