Update on The CATS Foundation – November 2011

We have made a lot of progress in the last three months with the development of THE CATS FOUNDATION. We have hit new fundraising targets and managed to raise awareness through link ups with various organizations.

We can not begin to thank everyone enough who has been involved in hosting or taking part in events for THE CATS FOUNDATION – below are some of the top landmarks for the last three months

1. Raised over £10, 000 and are now registered
2. The 13 in 13 challenge has started
3. Given a school talk
4. Research on Tay-Sachs updates
5. Events arranged by others for The CATS Foundation

1. Raised over £10,000 and are now registered

There has been a continual increase in the regularity of donations to THE CATS FOUNDATION. These have ranged from people setting up standing orders to help in the fight against Tay-Sachs to hosting their own fundraising events. Without everyone’s support and initiatives it would never be possible to hit our targets.

We have also now had the charity registered with the Charity Commission – the registration number is 1144543! This means that we can start getting Gift Aid on some of our donations. It will also open a few doors for fundraising which we are now looking into.

Thank you to everyone who has donated to our cause – let it continue!

2. The 13 in 13 challenge has started

Dan How and I have started the 13 in 13 challenge which will involve running a marathon a month over the next year. We secured various sponsors for the challenge who are themselves promoting the challenge whenever they can.

If you would like to join us at any of the races please get in touch with the contact us form and you can make a donation to the challenge through PayPal here. We hoping that more and more people will want to take part in races as the challenge goes on and we have ordered special running tops for anyone joining us!

3. Given a school talk

We were invited in to Nightingale Primary School to give our first presentation of what the charity is about and also what Tay-Sachs is. The children were all brilliant and have come up with some of their own fundraising ideas which they will hold throughout the next academic year. We are hoping to do more of these to raise awareness of Tay-Sachs and the charity so get in touch with the contact us form if you think your own school would like to get involved.

4. Research on Tay-Sachs updates

We have been in discussions with the lead research team into Tay-Sachs and they have agreed to provide us with updates on their work.

We recently released the first update on the research which provides an overview of all the work they have done up until now. Please read through to see how close we all are to a potential treatment for Tay-Sachs.

5. Events arranged by others for The CATS Foundation

One of the greatest landmarks in the last three months has been the amount of events that have been going on for the charity. What is so amazing about these is that people are taking the lead and arranging things themselves.

The following events have taken place and we would like to thank every single person who helped organize them (sorry if I missed any in the list):

• Charity football game – arranged by Simon Beauchamp
• ‘Kids ‘N’ Co’ toddler group bring and buy sale – arranged by Rebecca Moran
• Swindon half marathon – run by Vicki Hemmins
• Pumpkin Festival Elveden Estate – arrange by Simon Pillinger and Richard Howard
• Village Fate – arranged by Natalie Jarvis
• Church coffee morning – arranged by Isabella Alford’s grandparents
• Movember – arranged by Stephan Walsh

Once again thank you to everyone who continues to support THE CATS FOUNDATION – without you we would not have been able to develop the charity as far as it has come!