Every year the school organises fundraising events to support two charities. One of these charities is always ODNs Cobham Outreach, run by the Sisters here in Cobham. The money we raise each year for ODNs Cobham Outreach supports Company of Mary Our Lady projects in different parts of the world, and I will write more about some of these projects as the year goes on.
The other charity the school supports changes each year. The charity is always a charity based in this country and it is traditionally the responsibility of Year 12 students to nominate a suitable charity.
As I announced to the Senior students this week, the name of the charity we will be supporting this year is Nerve Tumours UK. (https://nervetumours.org.uk)
There are about twenty six and a half thousand people in the UK who have been diagnosed with nerve tumours. Like with many medical conditions, no two cases are the same, and different growths on different parts of the nervous system will affect people in different ways. Many people live with nerve tumours without even realising that they have them because the symptoms are mild and they are not making any difference to their lives. For other people though the tumours can lead to them feeling and being very unwell, and sometimes to difficulties with learning, with speech, vision or hearing. For some people, nerve tumours need to be removed with complex and challenging surgery.
Nerve Tumours can affect men and women, boys and girls, including children. They are a condition that does not have a high profile, which is one reason why the charity Nerve Tumours UK is so important.
Nerve Tumours UK is based locally in Wimbledon. It helps individuals with nerve tumours, and their families, by providing advocacy and support. It provides clear and practical advice to reassure those with nerve tumours and to build confidence in school, the workplace and in everyday life.
We are looking forward to RAG week next week with excitement. The money raised then and over the course of the rest of the year will not fund medical research to end nerve tumours. That is not the point of Nerve Tumours UK. What it will do is provide the charity with money to use in raising the profile of nerve tumours and importantly to us, to support people, including young people and their families in our local area, who suffer from nerve tumours, equipping them with greater confidence and self-esteem.
Thank you in advance for your support for our charitable work this year.
