For a brighter future...
Two and a half years ago we launched our £100,000 Research Fund Appeal and at the trustees’ meeting in December our treasurer, Paul Doyle, announced that the total had been reached!
In our Christmas newsletter we showed the total at £84,000. A combination of a big contribution of £7,000 raised by Bob Rumney at his annual Golf Day, a number of smaller donations and £4,700 from the Government because of Gift Aid declarations (just note how valuable they are!) took us to the target. This is a great achievement for a small charity like ours.
A huge THANK YOU to all who raised or donated money. Special mention must go to Roy and Vicky Forsyth and their family, who raised a lot of the money, to Bob Rumney, whose annual golf days contributed about a fifth of the total and to Paul Clifford who raised over £3,000 on a 800km sponsored cycle in the mountains of Spain in 2006. But, however much you raised, we are very grateful.
So, where does the money go? Over the last four years we have contributed £60,000 to Sunderland University to support their ProDrug research. This consisted of an initial one year exploratory project and then a three year Ph.D. At the December meeting, the trustees committed another £22,250 for the next phase of the work. We have also supported the ProDrug work at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (they are taking a different chemical approach) by purchasing a key piece of equipment for the research group there.
At this rate of spend we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to continue to raise money. We have now set the challenge to raise another £100,000. Please help! Remember that regular donations by standing order, particularly if linked to a Gift Aid declaration, can really mount up.
John Terry – The Cystinosis Foundation UK.
