Story
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">TIME FOR ME TO GIVE SOMETHING BACK</span></span></strong></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">Please take a few minutes to read the attached. If you can find your way to sponsoring me and assisting me to give something back to our world and to assist those who are truly less fortunate it would be hugely appreciated. No amount is too small (or too large!!)</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">I will shortly (13 – 23 Oct) be undertaking a 10 day trek in the Himalayas and Darjeeling in North India. The trek is a ‘present’ from my wife Helen, who last year organised a very successful fund raising ball for a charity called Sense International, which is the only UK based charity that seeks to provide a better future for probably some of the most disadvantaged children in the developing world. The children are both deaf and blind. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">One of the most common causes for deaf blindness is premature birth, as links between the senses and brain are virtually the last development in the womb. Other causes include maternal rubella and "Ushers syndrome" where babies are born deaf due to a genetic disorder, and with a 40% probability of going blind at puberty.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Sense International is the only charity committed to this cause – if they didn’t do this then no-one would and the children would have a life in complete isolation whilst still having all their human and emotional capabilities.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">To date, Sense International has now set up over 30 programmes in India, where there are 400,000 deaf blind people as well as programmes for mothers in Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Bangladesh, Peru, Brazil, Chile, and Romania.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">I had the ‘privilege’ of spending a few moments with one of these children and his carer at the charity ball last year, just after he had earlier appeared on stage and conducted a most moving and intelligent Q&A session with the audience of 350+. His only means of communicating was by touching his carer’s hand. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Together with a group of 25, I will be trekking in the Himalayas and sleeping under canvas. Categorised as a hard trek, we ascend various ridges and will be over 3000 metres for the whole duration. </span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Every penny raised by myself and the other guys will go to Sense International and each pound will make a difference. I have set a target which is tough but I am sure with your help can be achieved.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Your donation is so important to these children.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">Please sponsor me ………….. Thank you.</span></span></p>
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