Join Team CF this January!

Whether you've over-indulged this festive season or are always fit as a flea, join Team CF and Make a Difference!

We have the world's biggest and best running events here in the UK and, with your help, we'd like to make sure that in 2010, we have our biggest and best running team...

Over 35,000 people will take to the streets on 16 May for the fantastic Great Manchester Run 10k.

Entries open at 8.30am on Thursday 7 January and will fill in literally 3 or 4 days - the last 10,000 applications will go into a ballot this year so get your place confirmed early.

The Great North Run half-marathon on 19 September will see 54,000 runners head into South Shields.

The ballot for entries opens at 8.30am this Saturday, 9 January until 8 February so please apply now. Up to 8 January you can also enter the Daily Mirrors draw for a place too.

Please use your place to run with us and help to see off CF!

Want to book some great entertainment for your fundraising event?

A fantastic group of singers from Eton College are offering their services to CF Trust fundraisers.

The Incognitos are a close harmony group made up of 9 singers. The group is entirely organised and rehearsed by students, who practise together for over 6 hours each week. This year they are performing on various occasions, from a tour of Japan, to corporate drinks parties around London. The music they perform is often tailored to suit a particular event but they are renowned for their ambitious and imaginative arrangements of pop songs such as Michael Jackson’s ‘Billie Jean’ or Take That’s ‘Patience’. This year they are giving all money raised from their concerts and events to the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

They are available to sing at any event, please contact d.leigh@etoncollege.org.uk for more information.

About our committees

We’ve just had the second yearly meetings of our research advisory and medical advisory committees. Each one is a group of expert CF scientists and clinicians who give up their time to provide advice on issues affecting the CF community and to review research currently underway. There is also a person with CF and a parent of someone with CF in each group ensuring we’ve considered everything from the family perspective.

Items discussed included work on CF clinical trials in the UK and in Europe, a review of the work of the UK CF Microbiology Consortium, swine flu and the CF Registry – a clinical database of people with CF in the UK.

A lot of the info discussed will make it into CF Today at some point so keep your eyes peeled.

Christmas is coming!

Well the nights are really drawing in now and it's getting colder....which means only one thing, it must be nearly Christmas!

Christmas is a time for eating lots, watching rubbish telly and staying indoors, so all the more reason why you should get in a bit of exercise before the big day and help the CF Trust at the same time.

We are holding lots of Santa Fun Runs all over the country starting next weekend. Everyone who takes part gets a free Santa suit and it really is a great way to get into the festive spirit.

Sign up online now www.cftrust.org.uk/help/events or contact our Events Team for an entry form - 0845 859 1100 or events@cftrust.org.uk

YOUNG SINGER SONGWRITERS TEAM UP TO SEE OFF CF

A charity single and album are set to raise vital funds for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.

The project has been masterminded by manager and promoter Lee Robson from Rochdale, who wanted to do something for the charity after meeting one of its young ambassadors who has Cystic Fibrosis, Kelli Gallacher. Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK’s most common, life-threatening inherited diseases and claims three lives a week in the UK.

Lee said “I decided I wanted to do a single and album to raise money for the charity and have managed to get unsigned artists and bands from all over the world to take part. All songs on the album have been written by the artists themselves or by writers they work with.”

Full details can be found at http://www.faithalbumlaunch.co.uk/

All money raised from the sale of the single and album will help fund research into treating and curing CF. It will also help provide support, advice and appropriate clinical care to the 8,000 babies, children and young adults with Cystic Fibrosis in the UK.

Another person on the plinth!

Lois-Jane Thompson is going to be on the fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square this Friday at 8am to raise awareness and funds for the CF Trust. She is looking for volunteers to shake CF Trust collection boxes and buckets whilst she is on the plinth - if you are interested please find her in facebook and send her a message!

Big Bounce for the CF Trust

Students and staff at Salford City College, Eccles Centre honed their bouncing skills on Friday 18th September, when they took part in a Big Bounce event which raised over £500 for the CF Trust.

Sarah Haynes, Head of Studies at the Eccles Centre, organised the event as her niece, 11 year old Eleanor Geraghty, has Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and Sarah herself is a carrier of the gene that causes CF.

Well done to all who took part - looks like it was a fun day!