Thanks for visiting my fundraising page :)
On Thursday, the 5th of March I will be having over half of my hair cut off in the name of charity. After five years of growing it this is quite a scary prospect! At least twelve inches of my hair will be donated to Little Princesses, a Birmingham based charity which makes bespoke wigs for children with cancer. You can see their website here: http://www.littleprincesses.org.uk/.
The money raised in sponsorship of this momentous occasion however will be going to:
The AAIR Charity (Asthma, Allergy & Inflammation Research), a charity quite close to my heart as I am one of the many that has to carry an epipen with me at all times due to an extreme form of allergy to most fruit and vegetables.
AAIR is a small Hampshire-based charity dedicated to supporting pioneering globally-acclaimed research into finding better treatments and hopefully one day a cure for asthma and allergic disease.
They are based at Southampton General Hospital and the funds raised go directly towards equipment and funding of work by the asthma and allergy research team within The University of Southampton’s School of Medicine
This research department consists of groups led by world-renowned senior academic and clinical scientists whose combined areas of expertise provide one of the world’s most highly regarded forces in the fight against asthma, allergies and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). Their pioneering research is recognised worldwide and includes the vital search to identify genes at the root cause of asthma and allergy.
They depend on donations and grants alone. Since AAIR was founded in 1990 it has raised well over £1million towards specialised equipment and research programmes within the department.
Almost half of all British children now suffer from asthma and allergic disease - the highest incidence in the world.
The problem is growing and so is the devastating impact on sufferers.
Potentially life-threatening allergies have increased dramatically over the past decade with a 700% rise in hospital admissions for anaphylaxis, and yet there are less than 30 consultant allergy doctors in the UK (and I have seen three of them!). AAIR is proud to raise funds for the world-renowned research unit based at Southampton General Hospital. The team is dedicated to finding effective treatments and cures for allergic diseases and have been involved with many vital breakthroughs including the identification of the world's only known asthma gene.
Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor me: AAIR Charity (Asthma, Allergy & inflammation Research) gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.
So please sponsor me now!
