It’s so important that more people know about PANS and PANDAS. Better awareness means earlier identification and improved support for everyone living with the conditions.
Whether you have a few minutes, or more time to spare on October 9th, there are plenty of ways you can make a difference.
Below you will find everything you need to make raising awareness simple.
- Contact your MP
- Send a letter
- Tag them on social media
- Spread the word
- Share information with your local schools
- Share information with your GP surgery
- Share on social media
- Change your profile picture for the day
- Follow us on our socials and repost and share
- Re-share posts by international PANS PANDAS organisations
Get involved this Awareness Day!
What you need to know
What is PANS PANDAS Awareness Day?
PANS PANDAS Awareness Day, first celebrated on October 9th, 2009, is a day where organisations and professionals supporting families, children, and young people living with PANS and PANDAS come together to raise awareness. The event is held every year on October 9th.
How do I contact my MP?
Simply decide whether you would like to contact them by e mail or on social media. You can find out who your MP is here, along with their e mail address and social media handles.
If you would like to contact them via e mail you can download our template letter here. If you prefer to get in touch via social media, please follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter) on LinkedIn, where you will find posts from us for you to share, tagging in your MP.
Some ideas of what you might like to post yourself would be:
- @LOCALMP Please support us by joining the PANS PANDAS APPG.
*** add a short personal message here if you wish ***
Go to https://panspandasuk.org/post/__open-letter-to-health-secretary/ to find out how and like, reply or share to show your support.
#PansPandasAwarenessDay
2. @DevolvedPolitician People affected by PANS and PANDAS in Scotland / Wales / Northern Ireland need your help.
*** add a short personal message here if you wish ***
Find out about PANS and PANDAS at www.panspandasuk.org and like, reply or share to show your support.
#PansPandasAwarenessDay
How do I spread the word in my local area?
Awareness Day is a great opportunity to raise awareness in your local area by sharing information and resources with local schools, libraries, GP surgeries and even hospitals. There are lots of leaflets available to download from our website which you could print out, or attach/link in an e mail.
Some great examples of leaflets you might like to share are our Leaflet for GPs and Paediatricians, our Symptoms Flyer, our brand new case study and ‘PANS & PANDAS: A Summary for Teachers‘.
You could also pop a post on social media like this:
@School/LocalAuthority/Trust/LocalPolitician please support children in local area by learning about PANS and PANDAS and the impact it can have on children’s learning. @PANSPANDASUK offer free CPD for education professionals. Find out more at https://panspandasuk.org/events/ and like, reply or share to show your support.
#PansPandasAwarenessDay
My child would like to help raise awareness at school. How can they get involved?
It’s fantastic if children and young people want to get involved on Awareness Day. One of the ways they can do this was suggested by our Youth Advisory Board this year.
The Youth Board suggested that making sure school are aware of the conditions is really important, so we came up with a template letter and some helpful information to help young people spread the word in schools.
How can I raise awareness on social media?
You might consider changing your profile picture on social media for the day. Download a profile image here.
Repost and re-share on the day using #PansPandasAwarenessDay. There will be lots of great posts and exciting content to share, both from PANS PANDAS UK and from our international partner organisations.
We are also very keen for you to share with any of your own relevant organisations and contacts so that we can reach a new audience.
You may choose to create a post of your own – a great visual asset to use is this simple symptoms poster. An example post could be something like:
@School/LocalAuthority/Trust/LocalPolitician please support children in your local area by learning about PANS and PANDAS and the symptoms and impacts it can have. Find out more at https://panspandasuk.org/what-are-pans-and-pandas/ and like, reply or share to show your support.
#PansPandasAwarenessDay
Don’t forget to tag us in:
Facebook – www.facebook.com/panspandasuk/
Twitter – @PANSPANDASUK
Instagram – @pans_pandas_uk
Is there any other way I can make a difference?
There are other ways to support us in celebrating PANS PANDAS UK Awareness Day. Some ideas are:
- become a PANS PANDAS UK Monthly Donor – every donation counts, however small, your generosity can help us make a difference
- nominate PANS PANDAS UK as your company’s ‘Charity of the Year’
- complete a Challenge for PANS PANDAS UK
- share with us details of any Trusts and Foundations to whom we could apply for funding to support our work
Become a PANS PANDAS UK Monthly Donor
This PANS PANDAS Awareness Day, we need your help to do more. By becoming a regular monthly donor, you can make a huge difference. With your support, we can reach more families, give more support, and create a future where no one has to face these conditions alone. We can do so much more with your help—will you join us? Click here to sign up today.
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