Charity fundraising news

As this fundraiser takes place before our next issue of the Insider, we’re giving it a mention here…Members of TikitTFB’s Accounts Support Team are taking to the water for the Wessex Heartbeat Dragon Boat Challenge 2010, to raise money for the Wessex Cardiac Centre based at Southampton General Hospital. Hayley Fraser and Samantha Holmes, along with their team mates from the Southampton Poppies Netball Club, will take part in the race on the 19th June at Mayflower Park, Southampton. In Chinese-style boats, they will battle it out over a 250 metre course on Southampton Water in order to reach their target of £1500. The team are raising money in recognition of the care and support the Cardiac Centre, supported by Wessex Heartbeat, has provided to the brother of one of the players who was born with a congenital heart defect called Tetralogy of Fallot. The condition changes the normal flow of blood through the heart and is corrected by open heart surgery. It occurs in approximately 5 out of every 10,000 babies and although the diagnosis and treatment of the condition has greatly improved, those diagnosed will need lifelong medical care from specialists to help them stay as healthy as possible. Joanna King, Goal Shooter for the team comments, ‘My brother was diagnosed with the condition at 2 days old. Since then he has had a number of operations and the staff at Southampton General Hospital have been fantastic, as have Wessex Heartbeat who provide support and equipment at the hospital. Although he has a heart defect, my brother is now a football coach for Southampton youths, a fitness instructor, a swimming teacher, participates in many of the events for Wessex Heartbeat and dedicates a lot of his time to raising awareness about the condition. Without the technology and brilliant Doctors and Nurses, he wouldn’t be here today!’ The money raised will be used by Wessex Heartbeat not only to provide support to children, adults and their loved ones at the Wessex Cardiac Centre at Southampton General Hospital but also to purchase revolutionary and specialist equipment, fund research and educational projects and develop preventative outreach projects such as ‘Your Healthy Heart’. If you would like to help the Poppies reach their target, you can do so by sponsoring them at www.justgiving.com/Poppies-netball