Winchester News Online
Living with seizures: ‘It’s lonely, people just don’t understand’

She sits on her bed calmly with her legs crossed beneath her and a glass of water poised in her hand. As somebody who did not know her health issues, you would think she was just a normal 19-year-old girl.
But then she seizes.
This girl, who only moments ago was laughing uncontrollably, was now shaking violently with her eyes rolling to the back of her head and her body limp.
“I am sorry”, she said to me as she gained control in a voice which felt inhumane – foreign and fragile.
In the UK, 103,600 people live with epilepsy – a disease which results in seizures as brain activity becomes uncontrollable. And yet, people like Cerys Howells feels as though people still fail to understand the severity of her health.
“I always feel as though I don’t look ‘disabled enough’. Last week, I went to a social event and when I asked security for help to support my condition, they questioned the validity of my health passport, even taking it away from me at one stage.”
“It’s lonely. People just do not understand. I don’t want people’s pity, I just want to be supported and to feel like me.”
Cerys Howells’ seizures are medically unexplained, as it has been confirmed she does not have epilepsy, however, she continues to push for answers.
“[I feel as though] my health [has] been overlooked by doctors and nurses,” she said.
“I had a car crash in April 2023 and since have been dismissed by many health professionals. I feel like my seizures were caused from this, as I did take a massive knock to my head and was unconscious for about five minutes.
“The paramedics at the scene sent me home, it was my mum who took me to A&E, but they did not look for possible head injuries.”
“I am now pushing my GP surgery for a CT scan, and hopefully then I can get some answers about these random but scary seizures,” she said.
Following our talks with Miss Howells, WINOL conducted a survey which found that 15.4% of students would not know how to react if they saw somebody having a seizure, while 30.8% of students were not sure.
“Seeing somebody [having a seizure] can be a very stressful thing” said Nikhil Shah from the Epilepsy Society.
“It is important that we remember the three words: calm, cushion call – stay calm, cushion their head and call an ambulance.
“Staying calm is important for [the seizer], but also the person supporting them. We cushion their head to prevent them from harming themselves while they are shaking. You can use a jumper or jacket, something like that.”
Understanding how to react to somebody having a seizure is important. It prevents injuries to the seizer and damage, but most importantly, it can potentially save a life like Cerys.
News
Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal 2025 launches in Winchester
Communities are encouraged to buy a poppy as this year’s Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal is launched in the lead-up to Remembrance Day.

The annual fundraising campaign supports members of the Armed Forces community, including veterans, personnel and their families.
The Poppy Appeal remains the Legion’s biggest annual fundraiser.
Last year, more than 32 million poppies were distributed across the UK, and about £51.4 million was raised in donations.
Chris Hayward is managing the Poppy Appeal in North Hampshire & Winchester and said: “Wearing a poppy during Remembrance time shows that you care.”
“It’s a national symbol, and it shows the armed forces community that you appreciate everything that they do.”
She added: “For those who want to get involved, you can wear your poppy, donate to the Royal British Legion, Poppy Appeal, and also participate in the collections and volunteer as a collector.”
Winchester will be recognising remembrance itself, with a service at the Cathedral on Sunday, 9th November, in addition to a service at Winchester Guildhall at 11 am on Armistice Day.
The service will begin at 9:20 am and will include a procession from The Broadway to Winchester Cathedral, as well as wreath laying too.
Donations from the campaign go towards services including mental health support, housing assistance and employment advice for veterans transitioning to civilian life.
For more information on how to donate, volunteer or order poppies online, visit: britishlegion.org.uk/poppyappeal.
Winchester News Online
How the NHS can recommend gardening to improve metal health

A panel of gardening experts answered the burning questions of Winchester gardeners at a Question Time style Q&A held at St Swithun’s School.
Questions ranged from what soil to use this time of year to why some types of plants aren’t flourishing in Winchester but, as the gardening event fell on World Mental Health Day, this posed another question: whether the two are connected?
Gardening is an example of a “nature-related activity”, which can be recommended by the NHS to improve mental wellbeing under a term called social prescribing.
The panel’s Charles Carr, head of Wholesale Nurseries at Hilliers, shared how he thinks gardening is beneficial to your mental health.
Charles described it as “relaxation” and “contacting with nature”.
He believes it is a very good way of “de-stressing and putting yourself into the moment”.
Attendees of the event also shared why they enjoy their hobby.
Neil Budd, a parent from the school and regular BBC Gardener’s Question Time listener, got into gardening as a young boy but now enjoys the “peace and quiet” that it provides from his children.
He wasn’t surprised to learn that nature-related activities like gardening can be recommended by the NHS, as he says it helps you relax as well as being a break away from work.
Former social worker, Roberta Brockman is an ex St Swithuns pupil who returned to the school for the Gardeners Q&A.
She emphasised how the hobby encourages people to join gardening clubs and enter shows, which can create new friendships for people later in life.
According to NHS England, more than 8,500 people were referred to a green social prescribing activity between April 2021 and March 2023 and findings showed improvements in mental health.
Winchester News Online
Turning the page: Can young people fall Back in love with reading?
When is the last time you picked up a book for the sake of your own enjoyment?
Once a beloved childhood pastime, reading books is now becoming more rare among young people.
An annual report by the National Literacy Trust found that reading rates among younger generations are plummeting every year.
The study found that the amount of young people aged eight to 18 who read for their own enjoyment has dropped to just 1 in 3.
This has resulted in a 36% decrease from when the study began taking place 20 years ago.
Professionals are growing concerned about young peoples comprehension skills, empathy levels, and their creativity, all attributes which are strongly connected to reading.
In an age of scrolling, streaming, and gaming, the appeal of a paperback no longer seems to compete with screens.
But in Winchester, community efforts are helping to spark that interest again.
Local children’s bookseller Jo works with schools to run author events and workshops to get stories back into young hands.
“Authors go in to schools and talk to the kids directly about their books and get them really engaged and I see that have such a great effect.”
As reading habits evolve, experts advise the goal isn’t to fight technology, it’s to find new ways to make stories matter again.
For reading to thrive like before, families, schools, and publishers will need to work together to make stories feel relevant and remind young people that reading is educational in more ways than one.
-
Football9 years agoFootball – Winchester City vs Didcot Town
-
Community8 years agoWinnall community association renovated
-
Community8 years ago
Hampshire’s frontline services at risk
-
Hampshire8 years agoUniversity of Winchester Parking Trouble
-
Community8 years ago
Knight Bus unveiled at school
-
Community8 years ago‘Controversial’ new plans take shape in Eastleigh
-
Winchester News Online8 years ago#MiracleMissy Update
-
Bulletins7 years agoWINOL 20 November 2018
