Hearts & Minds is the home of the Clowndoctors and Elderflowers programmes in Scotland. Their mission is simple. They aim to improve the experience of people in hospital and in hospice, residential or respite care using clown-based techniques to encourage communication, interaction and laughter. They raise smiles all across Scotland, from Inverness down to the Borders.

They achieve their aim through two different arts-in-health programmes; the Clowndoctors programme, which works specifically with children, and the Elderflowers programme which focuses on work with elderly people with dementia. Please see their website www.heartsminds.org.uk for much more information about exactly what they do and I can tell you personally that it is completely inspirational. If I was a child in hospital, scared and upset there is nobody I would want to see more than these special people!!

So how can I help them.....sorry how can you help me, help them...currently the Clowndoctors make one day visit per month to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness, so as you can imagine that doesn’t give a lot of time for children to experience the joy of having them around. If I raise £5,000 they would be able to double this and provide two day visits per month so we would be doubling the smiles on a monthly basis and that would be just AMAZING!!!!

I totally appreciate that money is very tight, but I am not going to sit back and just expect sponsors, I am going to put my heart and soul into working really hard over the next 14 months to get this money for them. As well as my trek I will be running Brighton Marathon dressed as a clown! I am also holding a balloon race...please see www.justgiving.com/balloonmiles4smiles for further information!!So all I ask is for your support and encouragement and if you can afford to spare some money to sponsor me then I will be extremely grateful.

Thank You for reading and Keep smiling

Jo x

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So please dig deep and donate now.