Bolton Wanderers FC is proud to support the UK Sepsis Trust’s (UKST) new awareness campaign, It’s Game On for Sepsis Awareness, which launched this September for Sepsis Awareness Month.

The club is calling on its players, staff and fans to play the Sepsis Savvy Shootout game and equip themselves to identify sepsis so early action can be taken to save live. Bolton Wanderers will also be highlighting the campaign and sharing important messaging on their social media channels.

Bolton Wanderers FC Chairman Sharon Brittan said: “This is a cause that is exceptionally personal to me and my family. I lost my cherished sister, Anita, to sepsis, and I know the devastating speed with which it can take a loved one from you. Her experience drives my determination to ensure other families in our Bolton community do not suffer the same loss.

“Sepsis is a medical emergency that claims five lives every hour in the UK. That is more than bowel, breast and prostate cancer combined. Yet it is often treatable if caught early, which is why spreading awareness of the signs is so important. Football brings people together, and as a club at the heart of our town, we have a responsibility to protect our own.

“I am asking our supporters to take a few minutes this September to support the UK Sepsis Trust and learn the symptoms. If you or someone you know has an infection and develops slurred speech, extreme shivering or severe breathlessness, you must act fast. Seek urgent medical help and do not be afraid to ‘Just Ask: Could it be sepsis?’. It is a simple question that could save a life.”

Legendary footballer and manager Harry Redknapp is fronting campaign following his wife’s hospitalisation with sepsis in 2018, and is calling for better recognition of the condition to ensure swift and effective treatment.

The UKST Sepsis Awareness Month campaign engages sports clubs and communities across the UK with an online game, the Sepsis Savvy Shootout. The game helps players learn about sepsis in a fun and easy way, equipping them with the knowledge they need to recognise sepsis and take life-saving action at the right time. Participants are invited to enter a prize draw to win an exclusive meet and greet with Redknapp.

Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection that can strike anyone at any time, and five lives are lost to the condition every hour in the UK. But, if spotted early, it’s often treatable. That’s why UKST is reaching out to clubs, including staff, players and fans: to reach as many people as possible with life-saving information. The charity is asking sports clubs to make sepsis awareness one of their goals this September by promoting the game in communications (including matchday programmes), displaying UKST resources around clubs and encouraging their communities to get Sepsis Savvy.

In the UK, sepsis affects 245,000 annually, claiming 48,000 lives. Sepsis can lead to shock, multiple organ failure and death if not recognised early and treated promptly.

Harry Redknapp, UK Sepsis Trust Ambassador, said: “In 2018, my wife Sandra developed sepsis from a kidney infection. It was a terrifying experience – but we were lucky. She survived. 48,000 families across the UK aren’t as fortunate. That’s why I’ve teamed up with The UK Sepsis Trust to get life-saving information in front of as many people as possible.”

Sepsis arises in people of any age, whether or not they’ve got underlying illness, and although it always starts with an infection (such as pneumonia, chest infections, or UTIs), it’s unknown why some people develop sepsis in response to these common infections when others do not. As a result, sepsis presents very differently in each patient and can be challenging to identify. Early diagnosis and swift action are essential to improving outcomes for people with sepsis.

Sepsis is as common as heart attacks in the UK: nearly 80,000 people each year suffer life-changing after-effects in the UK, with 82% of sepsis survivors experiencing ‘Post-Sepsis Syndrome’ more than a year after hospital discharge, and 18% left permanently unable to work.

The deadline to enter the Sepsis Savvy Shootout prize draw is 30th September. The campaign, It’s Game On for Sepsis Awareness, will however be live all year-round.