Cleft Lip and Palate Association

The Cleft Lip and Palate Association, also known as CLAPA, is a national charity registered in England,[1] Wales,[1] and Scotland[2] which supports people affected by cleft lip and cleft palate in the United Kingdom.

Cleft Lip and Palate Association
UK Charity No1108160
First registered1979
Expenditure 2019/20£725,177[1]

CLAPA was established in 1979 as a partnership between health professionals and parents of children with cleft lip and cleft palate. It provides support for new parents, for people with the condition and their families, from infancy through to adulthood.

The organisation's office is in London, but staff are based around the UK.[3]

Aims

The main aims of CLAPA are:[3]

  • Bringing together people affected by cleft to promote mutual support in a variety of ways
  • Promoting a positive image of cleft through stories, images and videos of people affected by the condition
  • Providing one-to-one support and advocacy
  • Providing information on cleft lip and palate
  • Promoting research into cleft lip and palate
  • Supplying specialist feeding equipment for babies born with a cleft
  • Working with NHS Cleft Teams to improve cleft care in the UK

BAFTAs controversy

At BAFTA Television Awards at the London Palladium Theatre in London on 20 May 2007, when presenting Ricky Gervais with the award for best comedy performance Joan Rivers made a joke referring to the statuette as a "Jew with a harelip". CLAPA Chief Executive Gareth Davies wrote directly to BAFTA to express his "serious disappointment" at the incident and he said that "many people found the old-fashioned term "harelip" highly offensive and that "making the condition the subject of a cheap joke was simply hurtful"

Rivers said that she was extremely sorry for any offence caused as this had certainly not been her intention. Amanda Berry, BAFTA Chief Executive, stated that the academy would "never set out to offend nor make fun of anyone".

On their website CLAPA said it was pleased to receive the apologies but is aware that too many people are still ill-informed about what cleft lip and palate is and what it is not. They added that this ignorance can often feed into prejudice and the media and those in the public eye have a key role in helping us de-stigmatise the condition.

Patron

Carol Vorderman is the current patron of CLAPA. She got involved with the charity because her older brother, Anton, was born with a cleft lip and palate. He had treatment at Alder Hay Hospital in Merseyside and life was not always easy for him or his family. He is the first to acknowledge that it was his family that carried him through all the difficult times and he is now a successful businessman based in the Netherlands. He retains strong links with his home town, Prestatyn, in North Wales.

Board of trustees

The governing body of CLAPA is a board of trustees who are volunteers. The board is a mix of people affected by cleft lip and/or palate (with a cleft or parent of a child with a cleft) and health professionals involved in the care of people born with cleft lip and palate. Trustees are selected on the basis of what skills they can bring to the charity and vacancies are advertised in the national press.

Current trustees:[1]

  • Nicolas Astor (Chair)
  • Jasvinder Bhachu (Treasurer)
  • Jemma Morgan
  • Rona Slator
  • Andrew Beedham
  • David John Drake
  • Louise Hughes
  • Marie Pinkstone
  • Emma Howes
  • Oliver Hopkins
  • Jennifer Ruth Williams|

References
  1. "THE CLEFT LIP AND PALATE ASSOCIATION - Charity 1108160".
  2. "OSCR | Charity Details".
  3. "About the Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA)".
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