Dear friends and family,

On Sunday, September 17th I will be taking part in the 54-mile London to Brighton Cycle Ride. Over 4000 riders are expected to take part and each rider will be raising money for a charity of their choice. Last year the Ride raised over £1 million for multiple charities.

I have decided to raise money for 2 charities: MIND and THE DOWN SYNDROME RESEARCH FOUNDATION. Please find information on each of these very worthwhile charities below.

In order to raise much-needed funds, I need your help! Any donation, however small, is hugely appreciated. You can donate through my JustGiving page:

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/clare-simms

The Crowdfunding option enables me to raise money for more than one charity. I will be splitting the proceeds 50:50.

Thank you for your support!

Clare

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MIND

For 70 years, Mind has been committed to making sure that everyone experiencing a mental health problem can access the support they need and is treated with the respect they deserve. They campaign to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding with fantastic results. Their campaigns reach government and influence decision makers, helping to remove discriminating legislation, impacting on millions of lives each year. For more information, please click on this link - https://www.mind.org.uk

THE DOWN SYNDROME RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Understanding of Down Syndrome has advanced enormously in recent years; life expectancy has increased from just 12 in the 1960s to 65 today, and many people with DS grow up to have very fulfilled lives. There have been amazing advances in understanding the genetic basis of some of the characteristics of DS, as genomes have been sequenced and neuroscience techniques have advanced.

However, there is still a long way to go – the majority of people with DS develop Alzheimer’s disease in their 30s or 40s and most still face huge challenges in living independent lives.

Meanwhile, research into DS is seriously underfunded, with less than £50 spent on research per person (compared to an estimated £1,800 for cystic fibrosis).

The Down Syndrome Research Foundation funds ground-breaking medical research focused on improving cognition, including memory, learning and speech, for individuals with Down syndrome so they:


• participate more successfully in school

• lead more active and independent lives, and

• avoid the early onset of Alzheimer's Disease

With your help The Down Syndrome Research Foundation can speed up the pace of research to scientific breakthroughs that will support the millions of people with Down Syndrome around the world.

For more information, please click on this link - http://www.dsrf-uk.org