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2004 October 18 - Birmingham Couple Forgo Birthday Gifts to Raise Funds for Children's Charity

NEWS RELEASE

18 October 2004

BIRMINGHAM COUPLE FORGOES BIRTHDAY GIFTS TO RAISE FUNDS FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITY

A Birmingham couple celebrating 25 years of marriage were so moved by the work of a locally-based national children’s charity they are asking friends and family to make donations to the organisation rather than buy them presents.

Graham Lowe and his wife Pat from King’s Heath celebrated their silver wedding anniversary this summer and are holding a party for family and friends on 23rd October.  Graham explains:  “It’s our anniversary and both our 50th birthdays all within a few months, so we decided to throw one big party and celebrate them all.  We are asking guests to make a donation to the Children's Liver Disease Foundation rather than buy us gifts.  We chose the Foundation as we are both members of the Shirley Methodist Church choir and in June we sang at CLDF’s biennial memorial service.  We were so impressed and moved by the service and the work that the Foundation does that we decided to do something to help.”

Birmingham-based Children's Liver Disease Foundation (CLDF) is a unique national charity that fights childhood liver diseases through funding pioneering research and educating healthcare professionals and the general public.  It provides professional, emotional support to families affected and is the only organisation of its kind in the UK.

Catherine Arkley, chief executive of the Foundation, said: “We are extremely grateful to Graham and Patricia for their generosity.  We send them our congratulations on the occasion of their silver wedding and wish them a happy birthday too.  Most people are totally unaware that at least two children a day are diagnosed with liver disease and many thousands of families are having to cope with living day in, day out with liver disease.  It is enormously hard on the families.  Despite great advances in some treatments, including transplant, children do still continue to die Research is the key to providing a future for these children and young people.  It is only with the help of supporters like Graham and Patricia that we can continue to fund our work.”

If you would like to find out more about childhood liver disease or the work of the Foundation please call 0121 212 3839, e-mail info@childhoodliverdisease.org or visit www.childliverdisease.org

ENDS

For more information about this story please contact Rebecca O’Connor on 0121 212 6012 or e-mail rebeccaOC@childliverdisease.org