History
Young Epilepsy was established in 1897 by a religious charity as a colony
for teaching agricultural skills to men with learning or physical disabilities.
Staff also used the farm, garden and wildlife to teach children with epilepsy after a school was built here in 1904.
Soldiers with epilepsy caused by brain injury received rehabilitation on-site after World War One. By 1939 the colony was leading the way in national epilepsy research.
In 1957 the Lingfield Epileptic Colony became simply the Lingfield Hospital School for Epileptic Children, and the adults moved to what is now the Epilepsy Society (formerly the National Society for Epilepsy) in Buckinghamshire.
Children and young people with neurological conditions other than epilepsy were admitted to the school in 1972 and in 1989 our name changed to St Piers. By 2001 our current Further Education College building was open and we were known as The National Centre for Young People with Epilepsy.
On 1 November 2011 the charity launched its new name, Young Epilepsy. The new name reflects the charity’s change into a national charity that supports the 112,000 children and young people under 25 with epilepsy in the UK. We know there is a huge demand for information and support for parents and professionals and a need to improve access to, and quality of, health and education services. The charity has developed a new range of services since 2008 including our helpline, health information resources, training courses for professionals in health, social care and education and the promotion of good practice in schools. We are now forming a network of parent support groups which we plan to roll out nationally.
Join us online: