Frankie's little sister Carys was born with a Cleft lip and palate. From the day we found out at our 20wk scan CLAPA were in touch with us checking on how we were feeling and putting us in touch with the various support groups they provide.

When Carys was born and needed specialist bottles to feed CLAPA sent us bottles for FREE and lots of other information documents as well as a children's book to help Frankie understand that Carys looked a bit different but it was ok.

CLAPA continue to provide support not only to the parents but to the child as they grow, providing opportunities to meet with other children that have had similar experiences and have fun together assisting their mental health and wellbeing if required.

You never really appreciate the work charities do until you need them - Kat and I didn't know anything about cleft until we had Carys and we couldn't be more grateful to CLAPA for the work they do for cleft families.

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.

Frankie (and the rest of us!) are taking part in the Step Up challenge to raise money for CLAPA to help them support families like ours  for years to come. CLAPA urgently needs our help to keep their vital services going, and as a small charity, every pound counts so if you can please support Frankie as she walks, runs, jumps, skips and dances her way through 100k steps for specialist bottles for babies like her sister Carys. Thank you for your support!