This is why the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth will light up orange tonight

The structure will change colour in honour of Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) awareness day (April 13).

Sometimes referred to by sufferers as the ‘most common condition that no-one has heard of,’ FND is a brain disorder that can encompass a diverse range of neurological symptoms including limb weakness, paralysis, seizures, walking difficulties, spasms, twitching, sensory issues and more.

Charity FND Action said: ‘Anyone of any age can receive the diagnosis. For many symptoms are severe and disabling, and life changing for all.

‘While the symptoms may appear similar to those seen in neurological conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s and epilepsy, and can be just as debilitating, they have a different underlining cause.

‘The basic wiring of the nervous system is intact, but there is a problem with how the brain/nervous system is “functioning”, and how the brain fails to send and receive signals/messages correctly. This impacts on how the body responds to different tasks such as movement control and attention.

‘Functional Neurological Disorder is often explained to patients as a psychological reaction due to past trauma, or as symptoms due to stress. These explanations usually fail and result in patients feeling alienated, stigmatised and not-believed. The main reason for the failure of such explanations is that they take a potential risk factor and turn it into the cause of the problem.’

To find out more visit fndaction.org.uk.

Every year Spinnaker Tower receives a large number of charity lighting requests. If you wish to book for a charity, call 023 9285 7520.