News: CLAPA-GOS

CLAPA at Great Ormond Street- How we Spend your Money For many years CLAPA-GOS has been funding “starter bottle packs” for all new parents. As well as funding our new website and organising meetings, we support specific projects small and large. Some examples are:

The acquisition of three electro-paletography plates (at £340 each) for the Speech and Language Department at GOS. These orthodontic plates have electrodes that attach to a computer system and give feedback on speech.
A new fibre optic endoscope for the same Department. This is a very small camera, especially made for children, which helps to view the palate during speech.
Assistance in funding a reflex microscope, a precision measuring device. Click here (Arcorbat Reader required) to read more about how this device has been used in two different research projects.

Closer to home, we will be funding the translation of information to parents of children about to have surgery, from the GOS website into languages such as Bengali, Turkish, Polish and Arabic.

10k run for CLAPA
GOS Branch member Katrien Vereecke completed her very first Katrien London 10k run. It took place on 6th of July and Katrien was raising funds for CLAPA.

Katrien has a child born with a cleft lip and palate and knows how important the work of CLAPA is:

"It was a fantastic experience and a tremendous personal achievement. But most of all it is a little something I could do for CLAPA to say thank you for all the support we’ve received over the years," Katrien said after completing the run.

If you would like to sponsor her for her run it’s not too late. Please go to her Just Giving page and help her raise money for CLAPA.

Katrien Vereecke is a member of our GOS Branch and also a Parent Contact.

CLAPA-GOS conference
Earlier this year CLAPA-GOS organised a conference where patients and families could meet the cleft team and share information and experiences. Speakers shared their experiences of surmounting any hurdles they faced following cleft treatment. Our thanks go to Dawn Waterman, Brian Devlin, George Peretz, and Kaye Knowles for helping us.

We also had an opportunity to welcome Mr Loshan Kangesu, the new Clinical Director and thank Mr Brian Sommerlad, retiring Clinical Director, for all his work during his directorship.

Once again, we owe particular thanks to all those professionals in our own cleft team who freely gave up their Saturday morning. We at CLAPA-GOS feel very fortunate to have such a dedicated, supportive and professional team.

News: CLAPA-Head Office

CLAPA’s new Chief Executive
We are pleased to announce that Rosanna Preston will be joining CLAPA as Chief Executive in September.

Since early 2005 Rosanna was Chief Executive of The Musicians Benevolent Fund and prior to that had the same role with the British Association for Performing Arts Medicine. From 1989 until 2002 she worked for RNID, rising to become Director of Communication, Services and Training. Rosanna has a degree in Biology and Computer Science from the University of York.

Apply for Ski Camp 2009 Now!
In Inverness-shire, Scotland. For 11-15 year-olds. From 14th-17th February 2009. More at CLAPA Head Office.

FREE Watersports Workshop in 2008
One-day workshop for CLAPA's young people (13-17 years) on Saturday 30th August 2008. More at CLAPA Head Office.