Renfrewshire will be joining towns and cities across the nation this week in lighting up its landmarks in bright orange to raise awareness for a rare genetic condition.
From sundown on Friday, May 31, the town halls of Renfrew, Paisley and Johnstone, along with Bascule Bridge, will be illuminated in orange in support of those affected by Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS).
PWS affects approximately 2,000 people in the UK and is a rare complex genetic disorder that impacts both males and females from birth and throughout their lives, causing an overwhelming and uncontrollable drive to eat that can be life-limiting, as well as learning and physical disabilities.
The light up initiative is also to encourage anyone taking part in the nationwide Move it May fundraising campaign to complete their journey by heading over to their nearest landmark.
Paisley Town Hall will be lit up in orange this Friday (Image: Newsquest)
Move It May is a month-long celebration that sees people from all walks of life, including those with PWS, challenging themselves to cover a set distance through exercise, whether it be swimming, cycling, running, pushing a wheelchair or any other form of movement.
This year’s challenge serves as a reminder that movement and exercise are vital to those affected by the condition, but also hugely beneficial to the nation at large.
In celebration of the UK lighting up for PWS, the entire Move it May community is trying to cover the number of steps it would take to walk between each orange landmark - a considerable 2,779km or 3.6 million steps, from Bournemouth to Dundee via Belfast ending in London.
Many of those involved in the challenge will end their journey at their local landmark, wearing as much orange as possible, in celebration of the achievement the entire community has made.
Johnstone Town Hall will also be lit up in orange (Image: Newsquest)
Landmarks including Battersea Power Station, Cardiff Castle, Newcastle’s Millenium Bridge and York City Walls are among those which will be glowing orange on May 31 in support of the condition.
Jackie Lodge, CEO of PWSA UK and Catherine Shaw of FPWR UK issued a joint statement. They said: “This is a huge step for our PWS community. Our respective charities have, for the first time, come together for PWS awareness month and have been able to make this even more special with the Glow Orange campaign. It is vitally important to raise awareness and funds to help our PWS community."
For more information on Prader-Willi Syndrome, you can visit www.pwsa.co.uk or www.fpwr.org.uk.
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