Charity to light up Limavady

David Moore set up an FMS/ME Awareness support group after growing frustrated with the lack of support, or even reliable information about his condition.

His charity, which now includes branches in Belfast, County Down, Carrickfergus and the Republic of Ireland, are planning to light up the council offices in Limavady on a shade of purple in a bid to mark International Awareness Day for chronic pain conditions.

David said that the council offices in Coleraine are also to be lit up to raise awareness and that he is working with Derry City Council to have the iconic Peace Bridge similarly illuminated.

The local landmarks are to be lit up purple in order to mark International Awareness Day for chronic pain conditions, on Monday, May 12.

Speaking about the rapid growth of his charity, the Limavady man said: “When I started it was because there was a real need for it. That’s obviously the case elsewhere. The group has really taken off since we became an officially registered charity in December.”

David explained the purpose of lighting up the local landmarks in purple: “It is to mark International Awareness Day for chronic pain conditions. The Awareness Day started off in the USA and it’s something I’ve been talking about with the other groups elsewhere in the country. It is about raising awareness of the conditions - they are real and we need to be taken seriously. When people are diagnosed with fibromyalgia or ME they don’t know where to turn. Add to that the fact that some people still don’t even recognise it as a real condition and you can see that there definitely is still a lot of work to be done.”