Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) can have life-changing consequences. The Cauda Equina Champions Charity helps people affected by CES find support, and information, while working to improve awareness and understanding of this serious condition.
At MDS, our work with clients affected by CES has given us a close understanding of the profound and lasting impact that it can have on individuals and their families.
Cauda Equina Champions Charity's aim is to improve awareness and support for people affected by CES.
For MDS, supporting the charity is about much more than our work as solicitors. It is about helping to amplify the voice of a patient-led organisation that provides practical and emotional support, promotes education and awareness, and works to ensure that people affected by CES are not left to navigate its consequences alone.
Cauda Equina Champions Charity: supporting people affected by CES
Cauda Equina Champions Charity is a UK patient-led charity dedicated to supporting people affected by Cauda Equina Syndrome.
The charity's work includes providing support, assistance and information to people affected by CES, promoting awareness and education, supporting research and encouraging effective care for those living with the consequences of the condition.
CES can occur when the bundle of nerves at the bottom of the spinal cord, known as the cauda equina, becomes compressed.
These nerves play an important role in the functioning of the bladder, bowel, and sexual organs, as well as sensation and movement in the lower limbs.
CES is a serious spinal emergency. Symptoms can include changes to bladder or bowel function, altered sensation around the buttocks or genital area, and weakness or changes in sensation in the legs.
Prompt recognition and appropriate medical assessment are critically important.
However, for people who suffer permanent nerve damage as a result of the condition, the effects of CES can continue long after the initial emergency has passed.
They may experience bladder and bowel dysfunction, sexual dysfunction, chronic pain, mobility problems, and psychological and emotional difficulties. These consequences can affect relationships, employment, finances, independence, and everyday life.
Supporting people beyond the initial emergency
This is one of the reasons the work of Cauda Equina Champions Charity is so important.
A person's needs do not necessarily end when they leave hospital. They may require information, rehabilitation, emotional support, and practical assistance as they adjust to living with the consequences of CES.
The Cauda Equina Champions Charity provides a range of support and information for people affected by CES and their families. Its work also includes raising awareness of the condition among healthcare professionals and the wider public.
By sharing information and providing a patient-led voice, the charity helps people affected by CES understand their condition and find support.
Find out more about Cauda Equina Champions Charity:
Visit the Cauda Equina Champions Charity website
MDS and Cauda Equina Champions Charity
MDS has assisted many people who have been affected by Cauda Equina Syndrome and had concerns about the medical treatment they received. We share Cauda Equina Champions Charity's aim to raise awareness of CES, and we support the charity's wider work with communities and healthcare professionals.
Over the years, MDS has supported and participated in several Cauda Equina Champions Charity initiatives. These events have provided opportunities for patients, families, healthcare professionals, other charities, and legal professionals to come together, share experiences, and raise awareness.
- 2023 - Birmingham Cauda Equina Champions Charity Workshop
The event brought together more than 30 people living with CES and professionals to discuss the practical challenges associated with the condition.
Discussions included urinary and bowel difficulties, continence management, bowel irrigation, relationships and intimacy following spinal injury, rehabilitation and legal issues.
- 2023 – Community Walk, Talk and Samosas for CES.
We organised a community walk/run leading up to Cauda Equina Syndrome Awareness Day to raise critical funds and support for the Cauda Equina Champions Charity. Following the walk, participants gathered back at the MDS offices to share samosas.
Our efforts helped to raise over £6,500.00 for the charity
- 2024 - CES Awareness Day 2024 – MDS and Temple in Manchester
The event provided an opportunity to raise funds and encourage wider discussion about a condition that remains unfamiliar to many people.
- 2025 - MDS Charity Walk for Cauda Equina Champions Charity
In 2025, MDS organised a 10-mile charity walk through the Peak District to raise funds for Cauda Equina Champions Charity. Around 40 people took part in the walk. MDS set an initial fundraising target of £5,000 for the charity and in the end, over £7,000.00 was raised.
- 2026 – MDS continues to support Cauda Equina Champions Charity's awareness work, including the Light Up Purple for CES campaign.
Light Up Purple for CES – Every Hour Matters
The latest Cauda Equina Champions Charity awareness initiative is Light Up Purple for CES.
On 1 October 2026, which is Cauda Equina Syndrome Awareness Day, landmarks and venues across the UK are being encouraged to light up purple to raise awareness of CES. More than 50 locations are taking part in the 2026 campaign, with further participating locations being revealed by the charity. Check out the confirmed list of locations to see if a landmark near you is Lighting Up Purple.
The campaign carries a simple but powerful message: Every Hour Matters.
The charity says that up to six people every day are diagnosed with Cauda Equina Syndrome in the UK. By lighting buildings and landmarks purple, the campaign aims to make CES more visible and encourage conversations about the symptoms, the importance of early recognition and the need for urgent action when CES is suspected.
MDS is proud to be taking part. Our Leicester office at 11 De Montfort Street, Leicester, LE1 7GE will be part of the campaign and will Light Up Purple.
How you can support Cauda Equina Champions Charity?
There are many ways to support the charity.
You can:
- Make a donation.
- Take part in a fundraising event.
- Support a Cauda Equina Champions Charity campaign.
- Share reliable information about CES and its symptoms.
- Take part in the Light Up Purple for CES campaign.
- Follow the charity's social media channels and help amplify its awareness work.
Find out more about Cauda Equina Champions Charity:
www.championscharity.org.uk
About MDS
MDS is a specialist law firm with extensive experience supporting people affected by serious injury and clinical negligence, including Cauda Equina Syndrome.
Our involvement with Cauda Equina Champions Charity reflects our commitment to supporting greater awareness of CES and the people whose lives have been affected by the condition.
We have assisted many clients with recovering compensation to help rebuild their lives following a delay in diagnosing CES. Click here to read more about the people we have helped.
Quote from author. Navdeep Kainth, Partner and Specialist Medical Negligence Solicitor from MDS, said “Cauda Equina Champions Charity plays a vital role in raising awareness of CES. The Light Up Purple campaign is so important because every purple light can spark a conversation, broaden awareness and help someone discover CES who might otherwise never have heard of it.”
