WHEN most people are feeling tired or stressed, they get irritable or tetchy.

But for Steve Weisinger, the consequences are much worse.

Steve is epileptic, and tiredness and stress can cause him to have uncontrollable fits.

But the dad-of-two has never let the condition hold him back.

He has just taken over as Highworth's new mayor and plans to help other sufferers.

His mayoral charity is the National Society for Epilepsy (NSE), which will benefit from an array of fundraising events, over the next 12-months, including the mayor's ball.

"As someone who has had epilepsy all my life, I believe it is a condition that needs greater publicity to help

break down misconceptions," said Steve, 42, of Grove Hill, Highworth.

He has suffered from fits about every three weeks all his life but hopes an operation next year will cure his condition.

Surgeons will remove a scar on his brain which causes the seizures.

When the Adver spoke to Steve, he had only just had a fit at Tesco Express in Highworth, where he is a stock controller.

"I just sat in the office and waited for it to pass," he said.

"They usually last five or ten minutes. I can usually feel them coming on, I go all queasy. When it actually happens, I'm not aware of anything, and I can't remember the fit."

The only major impact on his life is that he can't drive.

Sufferers must go without a convulsion for at least year before they can get behind the wheel.

Apart from not being able to drive, Steve who is married to Miriam, 42, and has two children, Thomas, nine, and Charlotte, six lives a normal life.

"I see it as a minor problem, that way you can get around it," he said.

Steve has been deputy mayor for the last year. He takes over from Gordon Jefferies.

Tamash Lal