Find a Cure for Martha

With her big smile and infectious laugh, Martha Stringer looks like any other happy-go-lucky 3 year old from Marple, near Stockport. Yet behind all of this, Martha is suffering from FSGS, one of the many diseases that affects kidney function.

Martha has less than 5 years until her kidneys fail completely and will then face the rest of her life on dialysis. Transplantation is the other treatment option but as Martha is missing an important gene, there is only a 30% chance that a transplant would be successful.

Through all of this, Martha’s spirit has been a true inspiration to everyone around her. The campaign has been set up to promote awareness and raise funds for Kidney Research UK to help find a cure for Martha and others like her; to give them the hope of a better future.

A target of raising £ 1million in the first year has been set. This will enable Kidney Research UK to set up Fellowships, developing the kidney patient and research award grants to fund innovation projects. The average cost for each project is £ 150,000 over 3 years.

The money raised will go a long way in developing today’s youngsters to become tomorrow’s experts in helping to find better ways to identify a cure. Such funding would make a real difference to Martha and over 3 million other children and adults suffering with kidney disease.

At any time, Kidney Research UK has over £ 9million committed in research projects but for every single project that is funded by the Charity it is unable to fund four further proposals.

Marple Business Forum has adopted “Find a Cure for Martha” as their supported charity for this year, and a series of events in Marple are underway. The "Totalometer" below shows the cumulative funds raised by our members so far this year.

"Totalometer" - Find a Cure for Martha Collection Total

December
November
October
September	£9,455	Collection Boxes Speciality Cake Food Festival Donation Digital PhotoFrame Raffle
August	£8,465	Forum BBQ Swim a Mile for Martha Pub Quizzes
July	£6,496	Swimwear Fashion Show
June	£6,179	Marple Carnival ‘Cuddly Toy’ Tombola
May	£5,866	Members running the ‘Manchester Run’
April	£3,366	Raffle Ladies Fashion Show
March	£2,919	Blood Pressure Awareness Day
February	£2,169	Collecting Boxes Support Prize for Gala Dinner
January	£1,000	MBF Christmas Cracker Event

Events and Members' contributions:

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2009 Marple & Mellor Calendar The Marple Website / Marple Promotions are pledging the profits from sales of their new local calendar for 2009 to the 'Find a Cure for Martha' campaign. The calendar will be on sale in local shops and at local events including the Food Festival on 20th September and the Marple Christmas Cracker on 6th December 2008.  Swim a Mile for Martha Eighteen participants swam a total of 12 miles. “That’s more than half the width of the English Channel. We’re delighted that everyone’s efforts have raised so much money for this deserving cause,” said organiser Sarah Laker, who ran the event for the Marple Business Forum. Sarah, who runs Stationery Supplies on Stockport Road, swam 72 lengths of Marple Baths - a full mile. She said anyone wanting to add to the money raised could do so by making a donation via: www.justgiving.com/sarahswimsformartha Pub Quizzes The Ring o’ Bells Pub holds regular Fun Quizzes on Wednesday evenings in aid of local charities. They held two quizzes in August in support of the Forum’s campaign. Marple Carnival "Cuddly Toy" Tombola During the 2008 Marple Carnival the Forum manned a Tombola Stall when every ticket bought guaranteed a prize of a CUDDLY TOY, all of which were collected and donated by the school children of Marple. The cuddlies ranged from those that would fit in the palm of your hand to those that stood nearly three feet tall!

Members running the 'Manchester Run' The Find A Cure for Martha campaign fund was boosted thanks to kind-hearted members of the Forum, who ran in the Great Manchester Run, the country’s biggest 10 km road race. Thanks to the generous help of their sponsors, a total of £2,500 was raised for the medical research. Some of our members ‘FLEW’ round the course in under an hour thanks to their ‘fairy wings’. Blood Pressure Awareness Day Hypertension is both an important cause and consequence of kidney disease. Patients with kidney problems controlling high blood pressure is the most important measure that can be taken to reduce the risk of progressive kidney damage. To help raise the awareness of regular blood pressure checks the Forum, along with Boots and Marple Cottage Surgery, ran an event in Market Street. To help raise funds for the campaign, Wyevale Garden Centre donated their surplus stock of toys and these were used to stock a Toy Tombola which was run by the local Lions Club Swimwear Fashion Show Marple’s Market Street was transformed into a ‘paradise beach’ when some of the beautiful young ladies of the town modelled swimwear that can be found in the shop of Bare Necessities on Market Street. Martha helps Julie Matthews, owner of Bare Necessities, to draw raffle prizes during the Swimwear Fashion Show event held on 28th June 2008 on the Market Street precinct.

Ladies Fashion Show Helen Wintersons, Womenswear Retailer of the Year, held an in-store fashion event to show the new Spring/Summer styles before a large invited audience of guests and customers and to raise money for local charities including Find a Cure for Martha. Martha presents Inkbox Raffle Prize Inkbox of Derby Way, successfully ran a raffle during September for a Digital Photo Frame. During the recent Marple Food Festival, Martha presented the prize herself to Sue and her baby, both new residents of Marple. Martha was very busy at the Food Festival During the Food Festival Martha received yet another BIG cheque from the Business Forum and then went on to help cut the magnificent cake produced by Icing on the Cake to celebrate the Food Festival. The cake was then offer to visitors who kindly donated to the campaign. Martha pictured above receiving the Business Forum cheque and below with Andrew Stunnell MP and the Festival cake made by Icing on the Cake.

Personalise your Christmas Cards and help to  Find a Cure for Martha Order your personalised Christmas Cards from HB Printing this year and Marc will donate 5p per card to the Find a Cure for Martha campaign. Choose the design, the words and the style, you can even include your own picture or design. Contact Marc 0161 427 4588

Many of the images used on our website and generally by the Forum have been kindly donated by 
Arthur M Procter of A M Photo-graphics, 0161 427 3626,
Others are provided by Mark Whittaker of the Marple Website / Marple Promotions, who has also created this web page free of charge.

Where to find collection boxes

Kay Dee Hair & Beauty - 54 Market Street.

Toast Deli - 35 Market Street.

Inkbox - 12 Derby Way

Stationery Supplies - 44 Stockport Road.

Helen Wintersons - 6 Market Street.

Bare Necessities - 10 Market Street.

Marple China Centre - 28 Market Street.

Pads, Paws and Claws - 61 Stockport Road.

M & A McPhees Newsagents - 132 Stockport Road.

Icing on the Cake - 40 Market Street.

Links

Find a Cure for Martha web site - www.findacure4martha.org.uk

Kidney Research UK - www.kidneyresearchuk.org