This Friday 21st September sees the annual event Jeans for Genes Day, a fundraising awareness campaign by Genetic Disorders UK. Read how you can take part in support of this important cause.
This year don your double denim in support of Jeans for Genes Day 2018 and head down to the ArcelorMittal Orbit at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford, East London and ride the slide in your denim! Take in the views of London's skyline and / or unleash your inner child by riding the world’s longest and tallest tunnel slide where you will loop around the ArcelorMittal Orbit 12 times through tight twists and turns at speeds of up to 15mph.
Just quote the code ORBITJ4G when you book online and £2 from each Skyline View or The Slide tickets sold for Friday 21st - Sunday 23rd September will go to Jeans for Genes. £8 from each family ticket sold will also go to the fundraising awareness campaign helping children and families affected by life-altering genetic disorders in the UK. Alternatively, you can buy your tickets in denim on the day, subject to availability. For those with accessibility requirements you may need to make arrangements in advance so please refer to the information listed on their website. The attraction has been designed to be inclusive and has a cafe onsite, an enjoyable experience for all.
Don't forget to post your photos on social media using the hashtag #RideTheSlide #JeansForGenes and follow @JeansforGenes, @GeneticDisUK, @AMOrbit & @NoOrdinaryPark on Twitter and @jeans_for_genes, @genenticdisordersuk & @amorbit @queenelozabetholympicpark on Instagram.
With thanks all staff at ArcelorMittal Orbit for you help and support and for the GoPro footage to help raise awareness for the cause.
Jeans for Genes Day funds the work of Genetic Disorders UK and provides grants to organisations for projects, day-to-day support, equipment, respite and events which bring together affected children and their families. It is estimated that one in 25 children is affected by a genetic disorder, which means 30,000 babies and children are diagnosed in the UK every year. Whereas some disorders are apparent at birth, others are diagnosed at different stages throughout childhood. For some, like myself, the diagnosis was made in adulthood...
You may / may not know, that in 2016 I was diagnosed with an underlying cause for my persistent medical problems that followed as a result of trauma to my body from a car accident and corrective operations which dramatically changed my life and ended my dance career. Often referred to as 'the invisible illness', Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) is an inherited genetic disorder. There are other forms too and associated conditions that often accompany it such as Postural Orthostatic Cardio Syndrome (PoTs). Coronation Street actress and Patron of Genetic Disorders UK - Cherylee Houston, also has EDS as does her character in the well loved British soap. For more information about these conditions, please click on the links.
It's not too late to get your school, workplace or local community involved in wearing denim for a day. To sign up for your FREE downloadable fundraising pack, head over to their website now! JeansforGenesDay.org.
This year's limited edition t-shirt available to purchase for £20 from the Jeans for Genes Day online shop, is designed by Chunchen Liu, a talented fashion designer and master’s Illustration student at Kingston University who took inspiration from a pile of jeans, thread and a rivet to form the pattern and twist of a DNA double helix. Congratulations for your winning design which was selected from the numerous competition entries.