World Sickle Cell Day 2023
World Sickle Cell Day Social Media Pack
The 19th June is World Sickle Cell Day, a United Nation’s recognised day to raise awareness of sickle cell at a national and international level.
We would love for you to celebrate this day with us and help raise awareness amongst your friends and families. This Media Pack has been put together to help give you ideas and resources, which you can use on and around World Sickle Cell Day 2023.
General Messages
Below are a few general messages which we are trying to promote for this World Sickle Cell Day.
- June 19th is World Sickle Cell Day (WSCD)
- This year we are highlighting the theme of “Celebrating Progress”.
- The Sickle Cell Society actively supports and engages with initiatives and research which seeks to improve the lives of, and outcomes for, people living with Sickle Cell.
- The Sickle Cell celebrates the progress which has been made in recent years in terms of medical advances for people living with Sickle Cell, Improved Standards of Care (No one’s Listening) and Raised Awareness to talk about topics like Priapism.
- The Sickle Cell Society supports and represents people, patients and families affected by sickle cell disorder to improve their overall quality of life.
- Working alongside health care professionals, parents, and people living with sickle cell to raise awareness of the disorder. The Society’s aim is to support those living with sickle cell, empowering them to achieve their full potential.
- WSCD is an opportunity to raise awareness of sickle cell disorder and support those living with sickle cell
- WSCD is an opportunity to raise funds to support the sickle cell community
Key Services to highlight during WSCD 23 include Blood Donation, Clinical Trials, Screening, Priapism, Childrens activities, Mentoring
Events / Fundraising
World Sickle Cell Day is the perfect opportunity to run an event or fundraiser to let people in your community know more about sickle cell and help support those living with the disorder.
We would love to support you in running a fundraising and awareness event. All you need to do is visit our website, fill out the fundraising form and send it to our fundraising officer.
The form can be found here: www.sicklecellsociety.org/fundraising/
Looking for ideas?
Coming up with an idea can be difficult, so we have provided a few suggestions below:
- Wear Red for World Sickle Cell Day
- Sponsored run, walk, or cycle.
- Sponsored 24hr-a-thon (do something you like for 24hrs)
- Online class – teach your friends and families a new skill
- Shaving or dying your hair (or other dramatic change) – why not show the process on video chat?
Make sure to fill out the form so we can support you.
Running an Online Event?
Once you have organised an online event we would love to help you raise awareness by sharing it on social media. We also would love to publicly thank you and share your photos. Make sure you let our Fundraising Officer know!
Why not share your story with your local newspaper?
If you are running an awareness and fundraising event or fundraiser, then why not share it with your local newspaper? Local papers love to share what people in their community are doing and it is a great way to raise even more awareness of World Sickle Cell Day.
Donate
As well as running an event or fundraiser, another great way to celebrate World Sickle Cell Day is by donating and by encouraging others to donate. We rely on your kind donations to keep doing the work we do. Every donation allows us to reach more people, run more activities, and improve the lives of those living with sickle cell.
Donate here: www.sicklecellsociety.org/donate/
Text
We have created some tweet-length text for you to share on social media or share with friends and family. Make sure to keep the links and hashtags so we can find your posts and share them.
Happy World Sickle Cell Day! Sickle cell is an inherited blood disorder that affects around 15,000 people in the UK. Find out more here: www.sicklecellsociety.org/wscd23/ #WorldSickleCellDay
This World Sickle Cell Day, support the sickle cell community by donating to @SickleCellUK – the UK’s only national charity supporting people living with sickle cell: www.sicklecellsociety.org/WSCD23/ #WorldSickleCellDay
Sickle cell can cause excruciating pain and can be life threatening. This World Sickle Cell Day why not make a difference? Find out more: www.sicklecellsociety.org/wscd23/ #WorldSickleCellDay
Graphics
‘A picture is worth a thousand words’
Using graphics is a great way to visually tell a story and raise awareness. Images grab people’s attention and help humanise facts and figures. We have created a range of graphics for you to use for all sorts of platforms.
Wear Red for World Sickle Cell Day
Every year we see lots of people posting pictures of themselves wearing red to help raise awareness on World Sickle Cell Day, so this year we wanted to get involved!
Where ever you are, and whoever you are with, put on your red clothes and join with us in raising awareness.
Share the message even further by taking a photo and posting in on social media. Be sure to tag us in your post @SickleCellUK on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
Wearing red is a great starting place for conversations about sickle cell and can be a great entryway into raising awareness!
Want to know some quick-fire facts about sickle cell to share with friends your friends and family? Check out our ‘Did You Know?’ facts over on our World Sickle Cell Day page: www.sicklecellsociety.org/wscd23/
Click on the images below to download the graphics to help promote Wear Red For World Sickle Cell Day!
Key Links
Sickle Cell Society – www.sicklecellsociety.org
World Sickle Cell Day – www.sicklecellsociety.org/wscd23/
About Sickle Cell and Trait – www.sicklecellsociety.org/about-sickle-cell/
Give Blood – Click here to register to give blood
Additional Details
Sickle Cell Society
The Sickle Cell Society is the only national charity in the UK that supports and represents people affected by a sickle cell disorder to improve their overall quality of life. First set up as a registered charity in 1979, the Sickle Cell Society has been working alongside health care professionals, parents, and people living with sickle cell to raise awareness of the disorder. The Society’s aim is to support those living with sickle cell, empowering them to achieve their full potential.
Website: www.sicklecellsociety.org
Phone: 02089617795
Email: info@sicklecellsociety.org
Twitter: @SickleCellUK
Facebook: @SickleCellUK
Instagram: sicklecelluk
Sickle Cell Disorder
Sickle cell disorder is a long term inherited condition that causes excruciating pain, can be life threatening, causes multiple problems such as specific severe infections, strokes, chronic fatigue, delayed growth and progressive tissue and organ damage. People are often admitted to hospital when they have a sickle cell crisis, given strong pain killers such as morphine to control the pain, intravenous therapy and antibiotics. Some require regular blood transfusions to help reduce the number of sickle cell crisis as well as prevent life-threatening problems.
- SCD is inherited from both parents; sickle cell trait is inherited from one parent.
- SCD mostly, but not exclusively affects people from African and Caribbean backgrounds.
- Approximately 1 in 79 babies born in the UK carry sickle cell trait.
- Approximately 15,000 people in the UK have sickle cell disorder.
- Almost 300 babies are born in the UK with sickle cell each year.
- A simple blood test will tell whether you have sickle cell trait or the disorder.
- Children with SCD are at increased risk for stroke, the risk is highest between the ages of 2 and 16.
- Episodes of pain may occur in sickle cell disorder and are generally referred to as a crisis
If you have any queries, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch: info@sicklecellsociety.org – 02089617795
The Sickle Cell Society is a patient led organisation, our work is to benefit and improve the overall quality of life for patients as well as support those that are caring for them.
Becoming a member is the best way to be kept informed with the latest news, events, and resources. Membership is completely free and entitles you to:
- The right to vote at the AGM (find out more here)
- Bi-annual newsletter and monthly e-newsletter to keep you abreast of national developments including policy, service development, research, treatment and ongoing management of the condition.
- Invitation to attend our free events so you can hear first hand of the work being done nationally and giving you the opportunity to network with others in similar circumstances
- Signposting to sources of support support including information, advice and advocacy
- Involvement with patient and carer focus groups related to research and development
Become a member for free, today: https://www.sicklecellsociety.org/membership/
Social Media
Social media is a great way to raise awareness and encourage people to donate. This World Sickle Cell Day we want to flood social media with information about sickle cell so everyone in the world will know about it.
Below are a few ideas of what you could tweet/post/share throughout the day. They can be combined with the graphics we have created below. Be sure to tag us in your posts and use the hashtags so we can share and retweet you!
Sickle Cell Society on Social Media: