In the UK, many important areas of paediatric research depend heavily on funding from charities like SPARKS rather than the public purse. It’s this knowledge that motivates SPARKS to continue doing great work, and it’s this knowledge that encouraged us to do whatever we can to help.

As is the case for most charity events of this scale, Hilary and I have pledged to raise a minimum amount of £7,500 for SPARKS. However, we’re not aiming to achieve the bare minimum…we want to surpass all expectations and go back to SPARKS with a cheque that will really make a difference to the lives of millions of children.

Sparks fund many medical research projects for children one of which is developing a diagnostic tool to help doctors treat and prevent respiratory disease in children with cerebral palsy. It will be this project that will benefit from the money raised during my climb up Mount Kilimanjaro.

One in 500 children is born with cerebral palsy, a condition caused by damage to the brain before, during, or soon after birth. Approximately 20,000 UK children are affected with symptoms varying from mild movement problems to severe disability.

Sparks researchers, lead by Dr Paul McNamara at the Institute of Child Health at the University of Liverpool, hope to establish whether pepsin, a substance which helps digest food, found in the stomach (but not normally in the lungs) can be used as a biomarker to test for aspiration in children with cerebral palsy and so help doctors maximise treatment and improve quality of life for children with cerebral palsy.

The project needs to raise £136,567 over 2 years.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – we raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now. Hilary, Sparks and I will really appreciate it. THANK YOU

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