Nine-year-old Annabelle Mutlow from Pencraig, near Ross-on-Wye, hosted a coffee morning recently, and raised a fantastic amount of nearly £400 for Epilepsy Action.

Annabelle herself was diagnosed with epilepsy just over a year ago; she has Complex Partial Seizures, which can last for a minute or two.

Annabelle’s mum, Debbie told the Gazette that Annabelle’s seizures differ from what many people would picture when thinking of an epileptic fit; Annabelle will zone out, or become unaware of her surroundings for a few minutes, or she may experience a short set of brief unconscious behaviours.

Debbie told the Ross Gazette: “Epilepsy Action have helped as they have a website designed for children to give advice and answer any questions that she, as a newly diagnosed person, has. We as a family have also been able to use the site to gain many leaflets and information for both parents and siblings.”

Although Annabelle’s family and close friends were aware of her condition, she had not made it known among many people, so Debbie was a little surprised when Annabelle decided she wanted to hold the coffee morning to raise money for Epilepsy Action.

Debbie was very proud of her daughter’s bravery. She and Annabelle made lots of homemade cakes together to sell. A lot of family, friends and some teachers from Annabelle’s school came along to the coffee morning. The Mutlow family also organised a raffle and a chocolate-style quiz, which kept a lot of people busy for the morning and into the afternoon.

The theme of the coffee morning was purple; Purple Day is an event designed to raise awareness of epilepsy. Epilepsy Action sent Annabelle lots of purple goodies, such as bunting and invitations, to help with the event.