– in the Senedd at 3:39 pm on 1 December 2021.
Item 4 is next, the 90-second statements, and the first is from Adam Price.
Diolch yn fawr, Llywydd. I wish to make a quick statement today on SUDEP, which is sudden unexpected death in epilepsy. In Wales, there are an estimated 32,000 people living with epilepsy. Twenty-one people a week or three people every day in the United Kingdom die from SUDEP, with a large percentage of them being young men between the age of 20 and 40. As a group, people living with epilepsy are at a one in 1,000 risk of SUDEP. However, this can change drastically for some people depending on their individual circumstances. For some of my constituents, this is a very real issue that they live with every day, and some of the experiences they have shared with me over the past few weeks have been truly inspiring.
I would particularly like to reference Hayden Brown, a young man from Ammanford who lost his life to SUDEP just over two years ago now. His mother, Helen, is working with Hywel Dda to produce a resource that can be given to people at the point of diagnosis to increase people's awareness and inform them on how they can minimise risks. She also gives out an award in his name every year at his old junior school, Ysgol Bro Banw.
SUDEP Action are an excellent charity, who are doing their utmost to raise awareness of SUDEP specifically, and I would encourage anyone who has had family or loved ones affected by the condition to visit their website. Also, Epilepsy Action Cymru do a fantastic job of raising awareness and increasing understanding of the condition here in Wales. I would like to thank these organisations for their excellent work on this issue.
On Monday, a memorial service was held for the late Dame Cheryl Gillan at Westminster. For those of you who may not be aware, Cheryl was born in Llandaff, Cardiff, and raised in south Wales. Indeed, her family still runs a farm in Usk. She was educated at Elm Tree House, a former alma mater of mine, and Norfolk House primary school in Cardiff, before attending Cheltenham Ladies' College and the College of Law. In 1992, she was elected to Parliament as Member of Parliament for Chesham and Amersham, a seat she held until her sad and sudden passing in April this year. Cheryl was appointed Secretary of State for Wales, the first woman to hold this role, after the general election in 2010, a post that she held with sheer distinction and pride. I knew her for many years, and her passion and kindness always shone through. She was widely respected amongst the political spectrum, and admired for her dedication to Wales. Cheryl is greatly missed by all of her friends in Wales, who will always remember her good humour and kindness. Public life is certainly poorer without her. Thank you.
Thank you for those words. We will now take a short break to allow for some changeovers in the Chamber, and we will return for item 5.