Charity Tuesday - Baby Hip Health Awareness Week

In the UK alone, up to 2000 children a year are diagnosed with Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH), which describes a range of conditions from mild instability to total dislocation of the hip. Early detection means DDH can often be corrected by a simple outpatient treatment, but a later, or missed diagnosis can leave a child requiring hospital stays, operations and potentially a permanent disability.  STEPS

Baby Hip Health Awareness Week is from Saturday 10^th -17^th March and helps raise awareness of DDH. As part of Baby Hip Health Week 2012, the national charity STEPS is calling for parents and professionals to learn how to position their babies correctly to help prevent hip dysplasia.

Teaming up with the International Hip Dysplasia Institute (IHDI) STEPS is releasing two parent friendly leaflets on hip healthy swaddling and using baby equipment in a hip friendly way. Diagrams show correct and incorrect positioning for car seats and baby harnesses and slings and show correct swaddling methods.

To help put STEPS and DDH on the public agenda, the charity is also asking people to hold a ‘Put the Kettle On’ event during Baby Hip Health Week to help raise funds for their fantastic work.

You can find full information and links to the two leaflets on their website www.steps-charity.org.uk

Charity Tuesday - Plagiocephaly Awareness Week

This week is Plagiocephaly Awareness Week a new initiative to help increase the profile of Plagiocephaly or ‘flat-head-syndrome' as it is more commonly known, which affects around one in 30 babies in the UK.

There is currently no treatment available on the NHS and many babies are going undiagnosed.  It is essential to treat babies as soon as possible to correct the irregular shape and prevent problems in later life.

Why is this treatment important?

Children need to be able to do the things that their friends and peers are doing – trying a new hairstyle, swimming without feeling self conscious, wearing a cycle or riding helmet without pain or problems with the fit, wearing glasses, having regular teeth. If a deformed head is left untreated these and other activities can become difficult and may affect the physical and psychological wellbeing of the child as they mature. 

The treatment is designed to improve the life chances and keep open as many future opportunities as possible for children with this condition. To date, thousands of infants have been successfully treated with cranial remoulding and continue to benefit from the treatment they have received. 

Heads Up guide

Össur has devised a ‘Heads Up Five-Step Guide' to spotting Plagiocephaly, allowing parents to spot the early signs of the condition.

Think; ‘Top, Turn, Look’.  If the head shape looks unusual, seek advice and keep an eye on it.  Unfortunately, asymmetric head shapes don’t always improve on their own.

1. Look down on the head from on top.  Many people notice an asymmetry when the baby is in the bath, as they look down on the head from above and the baby’s wet hair makes the shape all the more noticeable.
2. Compare your baby’s head shape with others in his or her age group. If it looks wider or more asymmetric, then it may need some additional help to correct.
3. Place your fingers on top of baby’s ears and bring your thumbs together across the face.  This should highlight any difference in the level of the ears which could be problematic for wearing glasses in later life

If your baby is unable to turn his or her head fully in both directions, they may have a torticollis which is a tight muscle in one side of the neck. This should be treated as soon as it is noticed.

You can support Plagiocephaly Awareness Week simply by changing your Facebook profile picture to their logo.  Download your copy here

Charity Tuesday - ActionAid UK What a Feeling Campaign

Who and What is ActionAid?

ActionAid tackles the effects of poverty. We also change what keeps people poor.

ActionAid improves people’s lives every day. But we know that’s not enough. So we work relentlessly to change whatever is keeping them trapped in poverty. This means we have a better chance of ending poverty for good.

ActionAid works with local people to fight hunger and disease, seek justice and education for women, hold companies and governments accountable and cope with emergencies in over 40 countries. We want a world without poverty, where nobody goes to bed hungry.





To find out "your feeling" and how you can be involved visit the ActionAid site. 

Charity Tuesday – Celebrity Carol Concert for Place 2 Be

There’s nothing like carols to get you in the Christmas spirit and this year Londoners have a real treat in store. On Monday 13^th December at 7pm, the children’s charity The Place2Be will be holding a concert at St Peter’s Church in Eaton Square, Belgravia.

Carols will be led by the choir from St Peter’s Church and also a choir made up of 80 children from the two choirs at Eardley School, where The Place2be has been working since 2006.

As well as traditional carols, there will be celebrity readings from Honor Blackman, Sophie Dahl, Greta Scacchi, Nikolas Grace and Terry Jones.

After the service, guests will enjoy drinks and canapés and, of course, mince pies. They’ll also have the chance to buy a bauble from the Tree of Wishes, which can be exchanged for a gift.

Each of these gifts – which include such treats as cashmere gloves, beauty treatment vouchers, a fine art print, magnum of champagne, silk tie and many, many more – have been donated by a local business. Baubles cost either £20 or £40 – but with the average value of gifts being £29 and £88 respectively – and so are perfect for those looking for affordable Christmas present ideas.

Benita Refson OBE, Chief Executive of The Place2Be, said: “Christmas can be a happy time full of hope and togetherness, but for many families things are different. For the children The Place2Be works with, it can be a time of family separation; bereavement, poverty and loneliness are felt the most.

“We want to make sure that children are supported through these difficult times and given hope, resilience and aspirations and this carol concert is designed to raise funds to do just this.”

The Christmas carol concert is open to all. Tickets cost just £25 and can be bought:

Online: www.justgiving.com/carolconcert

Over the phone: 020 7923 5519

NM X 

Charity Tuesday - Center Parcs donate to GOSH

Center Parcs are supporting Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity throughout 2010, aiming to raise £30,000 for the Beds for Bedz appeal

Over the next twelve months Center Parcs and its guests will be helping to raise much needed funds, aiming to raise over £30,000 for the appeal.  

Each week Great Ormond Street Hospital finds beds for 1,000 parents within walking distance of the hospital. The Beds for Bedz appeal will help fund this service, providing beds for parents of some of the UK's sickest children so that they can stay near to, if not next to, their child while they are in hospital. 

Center Parcs will be supporting Beds for Bedz by inviting their guests to make a donation when booking their short break. 

All donations made by customers will then be matched by Center Parcs. 

In addition to the optional donation, staff and guests will have the opportunity to take part in further fundraising events at each Center Parcs Village throughout the year.