Who am I raising money for?
https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/victoriahumphries50at50
I have a connection with all of these amazing charities and as it was impossible to choose I have decided that all monies raised will be divided between them.
Julian House - www.julianhouse.org.uk - Bath, like many cities around the UK, has a number of homeless people on the streets - all there for different reasons. Julian House not only provides food and shelter but also runs a variety of other services such as work experience and training. I am particularly interested in the work that Julian House does around domestic abuse – an issue that is still all too often a taboo subject and frequently the cause of homelessness amongst women. Their Freedom Programme is just amazing and recently they have launched a programme specifically for young people (The Crush).
Fight for Sight (researching Keratoconus) - www.fightforsight.org.uk/about-the-eye/a-z-eye-conditions/keratoconus - this is a charity that is particularly close to my heart as I was diagnosed with Keratoconus in my late 20s. It is a horrible condition and can really be really debilitating. In 2009 I had CXL (Corneal Cross Linking) done in one eye which has helped and my brilliant optician has sourced some contacts that have really improved my quality of life, however it is still a condition that is rarely focussed on and the long term prognosis isn’t great as my eyes are getting worse. The more research that we can fund into Keratoconus the better. Below is something that I wrote in 2016 which gives you an idea of what life with Keratoconus is like:
No-one really knows how much it affects me. I always have to sit at the front of a room in order to read what's being displayed - I often still can't read it and have to lean forward and squint. How self conscious do I feel? I look like a goody goody who wants to be near the teacher/presenter! I always have red eyes and people are often asking me if I had a good night out or am I OK? I just laugh and come up with some excuse. I can't wear decent eye makeup. I can't wear glasses as my vision is useless with them so most people don't realise I have keratoconus. My contacts get 'stuck' in my eye and it can take 15 mins of sheer agony to try to get them out at night-time. I don't like driving somewhere I don't know at night as I have double vision. I always have to have spare contacts, solution, glasses & a mirror in a bag wherever I go. My husband and son have to put up with my irrational moods when I'm having a bad eye day. I am really scared about the future.
The Brain Tumour Charity - www.thebraintumourcharity.org - my young cousin Alex has a paediatric brain tumour and this charity is doing amazing research into these types of tumour which historically have not benefited from as much research as other types of tumour.
Teenage Cancer Trust - www.teenagecancertrust.org - my brother and sister-in-law's granddaughter also has a brain tumour but being over 16 is considered an adult by the NHS. This charity funds specialist teenage cancer wards for 13-24 year olds so that they can be treated in an environment where they feel more at home than in a traditional children's or adult ward.
Please give as generously as you can and don't forget Gift Aid - https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/victoriahumphries50at50
Julian House - www.julianhouse.org.uk - Bath, like many cities around the UK, has a number of homeless people on the streets - all there for different reasons. Julian House not only provides food and shelter but also runs a variety of other services such as work experience and training. I am particularly interested in the work that Julian House does around domestic abuse – an issue that is still all too often a taboo subject and frequently the cause of homelessness amongst women. Their Freedom Programme is just amazing and recently they have launched a programme specifically for young people (The Crush).
Fight for Sight (researching Keratoconus) - www.fightforsight.org.uk/about-the-eye/a-z-eye-conditions/keratoconus - this is a charity that is particularly close to my heart as I was diagnosed with Keratoconus in my late 20s. It is a horrible condition and can really be really debilitating. In 2009 I had CXL (Corneal Cross Linking) done in one eye which has helped and my brilliant optician has sourced some contacts that have really improved my quality of life, however it is still a condition that is rarely focussed on and the long term prognosis isn’t great as my eyes are getting worse. The more research that we can fund into Keratoconus the better. Below is something that I wrote in 2016 which gives you an idea of what life with Keratoconus is like:
No-one really knows how much it affects me. I always have to sit at the front of a room in order to read what's being displayed - I often still can't read it and have to lean forward and squint. How self conscious do I feel? I look like a goody goody who wants to be near the teacher/presenter! I always have red eyes and people are often asking me if I had a good night out or am I OK? I just laugh and come up with some excuse. I can't wear decent eye makeup. I can't wear glasses as my vision is useless with them so most people don't realise I have keratoconus. My contacts get 'stuck' in my eye and it can take 15 mins of sheer agony to try to get them out at night-time. I don't like driving somewhere I don't know at night as I have double vision. I always have to have spare contacts, solution, glasses & a mirror in a bag wherever I go. My husband and son have to put up with my irrational moods when I'm having a bad eye day. I am really scared about the future.
The Brain Tumour Charity - www.thebraintumourcharity.org - my young cousin Alex has a paediatric brain tumour and this charity is doing amazing research into these types of tumour which historically have not benefited from as much research as other types of tumour.
Teenage Cancer Trust - www.teenagecancertrust.org - my brother and sister-in-law's granddaughter also has a brain tumour but being over 16 is considered an adult by the NHS. This charity funds specialist teenage cancer wards for 13-24 year olds so that they can be treated in an environment where they feel more at home than in a traditional children's or adult ward.
Please give as generously as you can and don't forget Gift Aid - https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/victoriahumphries50at50