7th-15th May is Cleft Lip and Palate Awareness Week. Three babies are born with a cleft every day in the UK, and already they face a 20-year treatment pathway, with many having their first surgery at just three months old.The Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) are here to make sure no one goes through this alone. They give people affected by cleft in the UK the support they need to thrive and feel confident about what the future holds.

We’re taking part in the Step Up challenge to raise money for CLAPA to help them support families like ours for years to come. To raise funds for CLAPA, we are taking part in a 6 hour hike to the summit of Mount Snowdon on Wednesday 11th May. We’re doing this because our son, Arthur was born with a unilateral cleft lip, palate and gum involvement. This was discovered at our 20 week scan and we went away feeling overwhelmed and worried but straight away we stumbled upon the CLAPA website which offered so much support and reassurance. We were then referred on to the Cleft Lip and Palate team for Greater Manchester and were assigned a specialist cleft midwife who has been invaluable and so supportive so far in our journey. 

As we prepared for the arrival of Arthur, we were offered so much from the CLAPA charity - they gave us a free 4D scan to bond with Arthur and they sent us a welcome pack including his specialist bottles and teats for feeding. They also provide emotional support for families too by running a Facebook page where thousands of cleft families connect and they host Zoom chats and educational talks.

We are at the beginning of our journey with the CLAPA team as Arthur is only 8 weeks old but he has at least three surgeries ahead of him along with other specialist treatments and support. We know he will grow to be a resilient young boy with the support of his family, friends and the CLAPA team. 

CLAPA urgently needs our help to keep their vital services going, and as a small charity, every pound counts.Thank you for your support!