Facial Palsy Awareness Week 1-7 March

Facial Palsy Awareness Week takes place from 1-7 March and is a great opportunity to start conversations about Facial Palsy and highlight issues associated with the condition to the general public, medical professionals, and the government.

Our theme for 2024 was ‘Recognising Facial Palsy’. Our vision is a society where facial palsy is widely recognised and every person in the UK affected can access the information, treatment and support they need. We want the condition to be recognised by health professionals and the general public and for those with the condition to be treated with the understanding and compassion they deserve.

Keep an eye out for information about next year’s campaign and how you can get involved.

Links:

Survey Results – Facial Palsy 2023/24

Fundraising Ideas

Download our Fundraising Pack

Personal Stories

 

Facial Palsy Awareness Week History

Facial Palsy Awareness Week first launched in March 2015, at the suggestion of volunteer Kay Turner.

Previous Campaigns:

 

  • #TreatMeRight (2023) – Our theme for 2023 was ‘Treat Me Right’ and our aim was to raise awareness of how challenging it can be for people with Facial Palsy to access the correct treatment due to lack of knowledge, services and funding, and the physical and mental impact this can have. We conducted a survey on NHS treatment and shared the results throughout the week on social media to raise awareness about the lack of services for people with the condition. We also featured videos, images and stories from members of our community about their treatment experiences, and London’s Tower 42 and Liverpool’s Radio Tower were lit up in our honour.
  • #TheLittleThings (2022) – We highlighted all the ‘Little Things’ that people with facial palsy have to deal with on a daily basis and how they can add up to so much more. The cornerstone of this campaign was our series of Little Things Videos in which members of our community spoke about the little things that affected their daily lives. Another highlight was having our logo up in lights on one of the tallest buildings in London – Tower 42.
  • #FaceMyDay (2021) – We raised awareness of the psychological and physical effects of facial palsy. This included launching a Facial Palsy Quiz, the publication of Recommendations for supporting the psychological well-being of children and adults with facial palsy , our first Facebook Live with facial therapist Catriona Neville, and a new website page helping people affected by facial palsy seek a referral to a specialist.
  • #FaceUP (2020) – We wanted NHS funders and decision makers to Face UP! to the consequences of poor care for this patient group, i.e. delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis, permanent facial disability and psychological impact. People shared their stories and we held our first major fundraising event on 29 February.
  • #FaceMyDay (2019) – We highlighted the difficulties people with facial palsy have accessing health care, the psychological impact of facial palsy and what it is like living with facial palsy. We created an animation called Chloe’s Day
  • #InYourFace (2018) – We pushed the message that this condition affects function of the face and should not be dismissed as cosmetic. It’s about what is happening ‘in’ your face, which is not always what others can see. People painted numbers on their faces that represented facts about their condition and took selfies with posters explaining the number. We raised awareness in the media and published the results of a comprehensive survey about Ramsay Hunt syndrome.
  • #ShareMyHappy (2017) – People raised awareness of the fact that happiness isn’t always shown on your face. They also thanked those that support us during our facial palsy journeys.
  • #StraightFace (2016) – we highlighted what so many take for granted, the ability to laugh unreservedly and to express ourselves using our faces.
  • #FaceMyDay (2015) – Friends and family joined in by shaving half their beard off or wearing half-makeup during the week. They shared selfies on social media to raise awareness. The nail art community painted fingernails to raise awareness and shared on Instagram.
  • #FaceANewDay (2015) – people took part in dawn walks to raise awareness of facial palsy and literally ‘face a new day’.

Last reviewed: 24-01-2024    ||    Next review due: 31-03-2024