The Huntsman and Hounds, Upminster turns purple for fundraiser

The Huntsman and Hounds in Ockendon Road turned its beer garden into a summer fair fundraiser for The Epilepsy Society on Sunday (August 24).

This was the idea of Abbie Taylor, the pub’s holding manager, who has run the site for the past four months in the absence of the general manager.

“Not a lot of people know about The Epilepsy Society unless they’ve got epilepsy,” she told the Recorder.

Abbie (middle left) and some of her team on Sunday (Image: Abbie Taylor) “We emailed the society to let them know what we were doing and they sent us some t-shirts and decorations so we could decorate the pub.

“We reached out to small businesses in the area to see if they wanted to come down as it was an opportunity for them to promote themselves and also raise money for the charity.

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“We just made it a day where people could come in, have a little nose and also find out more about the businesses and the charity itself.”

Some of the businesses included makers of dog treats, custom flip-flops and wind chimes.

The Huntsman and Hounds was decked out in The Epilepsy Society’s signature purple colour (Image: Abbie Taylor) Raffle prizes were also donated by Tesco stores in Rainham and Roneo Corner.

Abbie was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was two-years-old and shared her experience of living with the condition.

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“Living with absence seizures is hard – when I’m talking to someone they might think I’m rude or not listening when in reality I’m having an absence.

“It’s like a computer reboot – my brain is rebooting itself and I miss little bits of conversation.

The bar was decorated with The Epilepsy Society decorations (Image: Abbie Taylor) “When I was 16, I had a big seizure at a bus stop on my way home and the police were called because they thought I was on something.

“It was only because a man in a nearby shop had known me from a young age and knew I was epileptic so called the paramedics instead.

“Ever since that day, I made it my mission to be aware of everyone even when you can’t see things.”

Abbie said she finds it hard to live with when people don’t know.

Guests enjoyed a drink during the fundraiser (Image: Abbie Taylor) “When I first started here I said ‘Hi, I’m Abbie and I’ve got epilepsy – if you’re talking to me and I’m not answering, I’m not being rude, I’ve had an absence seizure’.

“Some people may struggle to hold a job because they can’t sit in front of a computer from 9am to 5pm or they need adjustments that don’t suit certain businesses.

“For me, I like to tell people to just do what they want and not make themselves ill or stressed.”

Abbie said Sunday went as smoothly as it could have and it has inspired her to put on similar events later in the year.

“I was stressed to begin with but the day went as smooth as I could have asked – we’re thinking of doing a Christmas fair for charity as well because of how successful Sunday was.”