Help us light up the UK for 22q11 Day

Every year on 22 November – 22q11 Day – organisations around the world come together to raise awareness of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome by lighting buildings and landmarks in red.

For Max Appeal, this is a fantastic opportunity to make 22q11 more visible across the UK, raise awareness among the public and professionals, and show families affected by 22q11 that they are not alone.

Getting buildings involved does take some planning, so we recommend starting your approach well in advance.

Who should you contact?

There are many different organisations and individuals who may be able to arrange for a building to be lit up in red. Here are some suggestions:

1. Local councils and local authorities

Your local council is a great place to start.

Look for people responsible for:

• Communications and public relations

• Community engagement

• Health and wellbeing

• Public health

• Disability and inclusion

• Civic events

• Council-owned buildings and facilities

• Estates or property management

You can often find the relevant contact details on your local council's website.

It can be helpful to contact both the communications/community team and the team responsible for council buildings or civic events.

If appropriate, you could also copy in your local councillor or the council leader/mayor.

2. Hospitals, NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations

Hospitals and NHS organisations can be particularly valuable partners in raising awareness of 22q11.

Consider contacting:

• NHS hospital Trust communications teams

• Patient experience and engagement teams

• Children's hospitals

• Genetics departments

• Paediatric departments

• Congenital heart disease/cardiology teams

• Speech and language therapy departments

• Learning disability teams

• Maternity services

The communications or engagement team is often the best starting point, as they may be able to arrange building lighting as well as sharing information through their internal and external communications.

Don't be afraid to contact a professional you already know and ask if they can put you in touch with the appropriate person.

3. Buildings that have lit up for previous awareness campaigns

This can be a very useful way of identifying potential contacts.

Arup, Paradise Birmingham

Millennium Bridge, Newcastle

Kinver church

Spinnaker Tower

Branwill Hall, Swansea

Bascule Bridge

Renfrew Town Hall

Guild Hall, Swansea

Sir John Barrow, Cumbria

Hanley Town hall

4. Local landmarks and public buildings

Think beyond council offices.

Potential buildings could include:

• Town halls and civic centres

• Libraries

• Museums

• Universities

• Colleges

• Sports centres

• Theatres

• Shopping centres

• Office buildings

• Stadiums

• Bridges and other landmarks

• NHS buildings

• Community centres

If you know someone who works for, owns or manages a building, please get in touch with them and ask if they would consider supporting 22q11 Day.

You can also ask your friends, family and followers on social media if they have a connection with a suitable building.

How to contact them

Email is usually the easiest way to make an initial approach.

Keep your email friendly, concise and personal where possible.

Rather than sending exactly the same message to everyone, add a sentence explaining why you have approached that particular organisation.

For example:

"We noticed that your council regularly supports national awareness campaigns and thought you might be interested in supporting 22q11 Day."

Or:

"As your hospital provides specialist services to children and families affected by congenital and genetic conditions, we wondered whether you might consider supporting 22q11 Day."

Suggested email template

Subject: 22q11 Day – Request to light [building name] red on 22 November

Dear [Name/Team],

I am contacting you on behalf of Max Appeal, the UK charity supporting people and families affected by 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.

22q11.2 deletion syndrome is a genetic condition that can affect many different aspects of a person's health and development. Despite being one of the more common genetic conditions, awareness among the general public and professionals remains limited.

On 22 November – 22q11 Day – Max Appeal is joining organisations and families across the UK and internationally to raise awareness of 22q11 by lighting buildings and landmarks in red.

We would love to invite [organisation/building name] to support 22q11 Day by illuminating [building name] in red on 22 November, if this is something you are able to facilitate.

Your support would help us to:

• Raise awareness of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

• Help families affected by the condition feel recognised and supported

• Encourage greater awareness among health, education and social care professionals

• Highlight the importance of understanding and supporting people with 22q11

[Add a personalised sentence here, for example:
"We have seen the fantastic support your organisation has given to other awareness campaigns and thought you may be interested in joining this year's 22q11 Day campaign."]

We would be delighted to provide further information about 22q11 Day and any materials you may need to support the campaign.

If lighting the building is not possible, there are also other ways you can support us, including sharing our 22q11 Day campaign on your social media channels or displaying our campaign materials.

Please do get in touch if you would like to discuss this further.

Thank you very much for considering supporting 22q11 Day and the thousands of people and families affected by 22q11.2 deletion syndrome across the UK.

Kind regards,

Your name

Max Appeal
The UK charity supporting people and families affected by 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

What if they want to help but can't light their building?

Don't give up if an organisation says that lighting their building isn't possible!

There are lots of other ways they can support 22q11 Day.

You could ask them to:

Share our campaign on social media

Encourage them to share Max Appeal's 22q11 Day graphics and messages across their social media channels on and around 22 November.

Ask them to use:

#22q11Day

and tag Max Appeal where appropriate.

Display campaign materials

Some organisations may be able to display posters or other printed information in:

• Reception areas

• Waiting rooms

• Community centres

• Staff areas

• Libraries

• Offices

• Noticeboards

Share information digitally

Hospitals, councils and other organisations may be able to include information about 22q11 Day in:

• Staff newsletters

• Patient newsletters

• Websites

• Intranet pages

• Digital screens

• Social media

Take a photograph

If a building is illuminated in red, encourage the organisation to take a photograph and share it on social media.

This helps us demonstrate the incredible support for the 22q11 community across the UK.

Make it personal

Whenever possible, personalise your approach.

A building manager is much more likely to engage with an email that explains why you are contacting them specifically.

You could mention:

• A previous awareness campaign they have supported

• Their work with families or disabled people

• Their involvement with healthcare or genetics

• A local connection to 22q11

• Previous support they have given to Max Appeal

You can also explain that 22q11 affects people across the UK, and that greater awareness can make a real difference to families navigating health, education and social care services.

Finally – ask for help!

Don't feel that you have to do this alone.

If you have a contact at a council, hospital, university, landmark, business or other organisation, please consider approaching them.

One email could result in a building being illuminated in red and hundreds or thousands of people learning about 22q11 for the first time.

Together, we can make 22q11 Day – 22 November – visible across the UK.

Thank you for helping Max Appeal raise awareness and give 22q11 a voice.