Hiya,

Thanks for visiting our fundraising page.

On 7th March 2009 Mark & Julie took part in a sponsored Parents do Stagecoach day where we were treated just like the kids and did an hour and a half of singing, dancing and drama. 

We had a great time and  took  lots of funny photo's and video clips, including exclusive footage of  us dancing to High School Musical! So far we've managed to raise £510 which is a fantastic result.

The money raised is going to the Ava Clarke Foundation, which is a registered charity. The aim of the charity is to purchase a specialist piece of equipment for The Evelina Children's Hospital in London. The Evelina is part of Guys and St Thomas' Hospital and treats 100,000 children each year - from all over the South East of England. The equipment in question is the 'next generation' tandem mass spectrometer (TMS) and will be the first of its kind within the UK and within the NHS. The TMS will screen children's blood samples, diagnosing a huge number of genetic disorders. It will also impact very significantly on children with liver disease, kidney disease, brain injury, diabetes, sickle cell, the list is endless.

The foundation was set up by Natasha Clarke (Principal of Stagecoach Staines) after the sad loss of her daughter, Ava at just 6 days old. As some of you may know we lost our son, Jamie in 2003 during late pregnancy and it would mean alot to us to raise some money in his memory too.

 Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to sponsor us: The Ava Clarke Foundation 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.

Although our dancing and singing is over now the fundraising page will remain open until August so you still have time to sponsor us.

Many thanks

Julie & Mark x