November Events

November is set to be another busy month at CLAPA, with lots of opportunities for you to connect with others in the cleft community, share experiences and find support.  

From the launch of our virtual massage sessions to the first of our Christmas events, there are plenty of ways to get involved!

In This Newsletter:

• Upcoming Events

• Get your CLAPA Christmas Cards

• Team Neve, Keep Smiling

• Ellamae's Story

• Returning to Cleft Care Guide

• Mental Health Q&A

• Need to talk?

Coming Up: Events at CLAPA

CLAPA Wellbeing: Virtual Massage

To care for others, it's vital that we take time out to care for ourselves. This virtual massage session on Wednesday 3rd November at 7pm has been designed to give parents, carers and other close relatives (including grandparents) a cleft-focused space where they can take time to relax and let their worries go. If Wednesdays don't work for you, we have another session on Tuesday 16th November at 7pm.

Get your CLAPA Christmas cards!

With the festive season fast approaching, now is the perfect time to get your Christmas cards! By buying your cards through CLAPA, you'll support the UK cleft community with every Christmas message you send.

Team Neve, Keep Smiling

"Our youngest daughter Neve, now 2 years old, was diagnosed with a unilateral cleft lip and palate at our 20-week scan. On that day we were contacted by our local cleft team and we were later introduced to CLAPA. Our cleft team and CLAPA have been a fantastic support to us, from providing initial family packs and sources of information to providing special feeding bottles and teats for Neve.⠀
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"Like so many charities, fundraising has been incredibly difficult during the pandemic with live events unable to take place. When the Kiltwalk September 2021 was launched we decided that it would be a great opportunity to take part in a live event and try to raise funds for CLAPA. We signed up as 'Team Neve, Keep Smiling' and quickly we had the support of family members who wanted to walk with us. We also had the pleasure of Neve and her big sister Zoe joining us along the route.⠀
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"We have been overwhelmed by the level of support and we've raised in excess of £5,000 with funds still coming in! We hope that the money raised will help CLAPA in what have been very challenging times and allow them to continue to deliver valuable support to families on their cleft journey."

Thank you so much for supporting CLAPA, Linzi, Iain, Zoe and Neve!

Ellamae's Story

"I was born with an incomplete cleft and had three operations and speech therapy as a child. I remember being bullied, being called names and being told I speak funny or strange. Naturally, as I started getting older, I started feeling more insecure. I still am to an extent. However, I decided to pursue a career in the arts, because when I sing I lose my insecurities and my speech feels clearer and nothing matters. I forget about the world around me.

"I never like photos being taken from the left side as this is where I feel my cleft is more noticeable. My top lip and left side of my nose are a different shape and I always struggled to come to terms with that. I would instinctively focus everything I did on the right side of my body. However, getting older and starting to overcome the body dysmorphia, in the last few years I have started to adore part of my difference and I love the fact it's a tiny part of me. It is crazy that I now work as a professional singer and actor. I feel so lucky. It blows my mind that I have worked on West End for the BBC and am currently a singer as part of a Sir Tim Rice show.

"In a world where we are always striving towards perfection, remember that a beautiful thing is never perfect."

Thank you for sharing your story, Ellamae! Would you like to share your story with the CLAPA Community? If you're an adult born with a cleft, we'd love to hear from you.