Kidneys for Life

Jack Norfolk a patient at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital received a new kidney recently – see the article in the MEN for more information.

Jack, Riley and a number of children who have received a kidney transplant are hoping to attend the British Transplant Games in Belfast in August this year.  Please help if you can by making a donation, taking part in the Great Manchester Run, cheering on our cyclists at the static cycle from Manchester to Belfast taking place in the Children’s Hospital Atrium on Thursday, 31 March.

Scott Gallagher of Bolton is organising a Charity Football Match on Sunday, 27th March at 1pm on behalf of Kidneys for Life and supporting the Children’s Transplant Team in the aim to go to the games in Belfast this year.  Follow this link for further information

Dave Clarke, a tacher who owes his life to an organ transplant has called for more donors to come forward.  New figures have revealed 20 patients have died in the past five years in Bolton because donors could not be found for them in time — two of those have died in recent months.

Further details can be found here

Katherine Pisaro receives a kidney transplant after her mum Robin Moran donates a kidney to another person following a paired kidney donation.  More information can be found here

David Hughes received a kidney from his wife Christine after David received treatment to desensitise his blood before the transplant.  More details here

David Poyner and his partner Jane Pittaway-Hampson were featured in the Manchester Evening News recently as David received a kidney from his partner Jane.  Follow this link for the full article

Calendar Girls 2010

Calendar Girls

Hats off to Debra Haslam and her friends, all work and pensions officers who posed for their own 2011 calendar in memory of Dominic Haslam from Middleton, who died suddenly and unexpectedly last December due to heart failure having suffered with renal disease for a number of years.  Debra, his widow is ‘Miss September’ in the calendar.

The friends, based at Newgate House in Rochdale, were inspired by the smash hit stage show and film Calendar Girls starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters.  Their modesties were covered with props and clever use of the colour kingfisher blue, the colour theme for the project.  The 10-hour calendar shoot took place at The Talking Point conference and exhibition centre, a renovated church in Saddleworth. Photos were taken by Julie Ashworth and Kath Clinton of Duo Photography and Julie posed as Miss July.

The calendar was launched to special guests including family and friends at Macaroon patisserie in Bury Road, Bamford – where the women came up with the idea for the project over afternoon tea – last Saturday. Also taking part in the shoot were Lorna Coulter, Elizabeth Archibald, Helen Hart, Fiona Bolton, Helen Burrill, Kathy Roscoe, Alayne Whitworth, Gillian Roberts and Michelle Brook.

Funds raised from the calendar sales will fund additional heating, portable DVD players and other items to make the hospital patients feel more comfortable during dialysis treatment.

Anyone wishing to receive a calendar in exchange for a donation of £10 or more should contact Michelle Brook on 07780 681533

Hattie Dufton of Manchester High School for Girls submitted the winning design for the Kidneys for Life Christmas Card 2010.  The card can be bought online through the Christmas Card shops or from the various Christmas Charity Shops in South Manchester.

Whilst volunteering at the Knutsford Civic Centre, selling cards and gifts on behalf of Kidneys for Life and the other charities represented, when in walks George Osborne, Chancellor of the Exchequer.  Mr Osborne was there to promote the Christmas Charity Shops having visited the Wilmslow shop earlier in the day.  The shops sell cards on behalf of charities at no cost, it is all done on a voluntary basis with the profit from the gifts paying for any costs.  Charities receive 100% of the card value they place in the shop.

Christmas Cards are being sold on behalf of Kidneys for Life through the Combined Charities Card Shops & Online.  You can visit the shops in Wilmslow Library, Altrincham Library, Hale Library, Sale Waterside, Knutsford Civic Centre and Macclesfield Library or go online to order your cards.  All proceeds to Kidneys for Life.