This coming Saturday night (27th Jan), there’s going to be a very glamorous fund-raising ball in Manchester, organised by Kate Hart for the benefit of two charities very close to her heart, and for the love of two very special ladies – her Mum and her daughter.

Contented Dementia Trust is one of those charities and Northern Cleft Foundation is the other.

The theme of the ‘I Wanna Go Out Dancing’ Charity Ball 2024 was inspired by Kate’s Mum.
Having been a very fit, dance-loving and healthy 65, Nina began to display neurodegenerative symptoms in 2019 which worsened quickly and distressingly over the next two years until she was eventually diagnosed with Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD).

At this point, Kate reached out to the Contented Dementia Trust, who were there to listen, help, advise and offer invaluable support to her as her Mum’s illness progressed.

Kate chose us as one of her charities for the fundraiser so that we can continue to offer support to families like hers and their loved ones with dementia.

Kate’s daughter, Milly arrived just a week after she had settled Nina into a care home, but shortly after her birth, the midwife noticed an abnormality with Milly’s mouth and a cleft palate was diagnosed.

Milly has now had successful palate surgery, although she still has a long road ahead and needs hearing aids.

Kate is very aware that such support and treatment is simply not available to many in the third world – and this lack of availability condemns many children to a life of poverty – not being able to communicate clearly, nor eat and drink effectively.

The Northern Cleft Foundation provides life-changing surgery for these children; the surgeons give up their own free time not only to operate but to train local hospitals to carry out such procedures in the future.

The team needs to raise £30,000 before each trip to pay for all the surgical supplies they’ll need to make such an incalculable difference to children’s lives.

If you would like to help Kate raise money for either the Contented Dementia Trust or the Northern Cleft Foundation, why don’t put your glad rags on, have a dance around the kitchen this Saturday night in Nina’s memory and then head over to tread more on the JustGiving pages Kate has set up.

As a certain local supermarket says ‘Every Little Helps’ …

https://bit.ly/4b74Eoy – Contented Dementia Trust

https://bit.ly/3HuZtkR – Northern Cleft Foundation

And Keeeeep Dancin’!