NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR DUDLEY EDITION
 

PAGE.: Page 20

DATE:

Tuesday, 25th November 2003
 

REPORTER: 

Lee Watton

TITLE: Drop-in session for disease sufferers at special clinic

A second drop-in session is being held for people with an incurable disease at the UK’s first clinic dedicated to the condition.

It is being held at the Lupus clinic based at Dudley Guest Hospital on Friday between 2 and 4pm.

Lupus is an incurable auto-immune disease which affects any part of the body causing miscarriage, depression, joint and muscle problems and can destroy kidneys, heart and lungs.

Visitors will be able to get advice from a nurse practitioner, take part in a question and answer session and get information on alternative treatments such as aromatherapy.

The group was set up by Yvonne Norton who was diagnosed with the condition 25 years ago.

She said: “Lupus can be a lonely, isolating disease and it is hoped by attending these sessions patients will benefit from meeting others in similar circumstances and knowing they have support.”

More information about the drop-in session or about the group is available by telephoning Mrs Norton on 01902 498236.

NEWSPAPER:  

SENTINEL – STOKE-ON-TRENT

PAGE.: Page 18

DATE:

Sunday, 5th October 2003
 

REPORTER: 

Kerryanne Clancy

TITLE: 

The pain of not knowing

Feeling constantly tired and full of aches and pains is often put down to a hectic lifestyle or a bout of flu – but these could be the first warning signs of lupus, an incurable illness of the immune system.

Many patients with lupus are initially misdiagnosed with another disease such as rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis.

The reason for this is that lupus can present itself in a number of ways, even to the extent of mimicking other diseases.

What causes lupus is not yet known, but recent research points towards a number of triggers such as puberty, childbirth, sunlight, the menopause, viral infection, medical trauma or a continued course of various medications.

There are two types of lupus. Systemic lupus is a condition in which the body’s defence mechanism starts to attack itself through an abundance of antibodies in the bloodstream, causing inflammation and damage in the joints, muscles and other organs. Discoid lupus is usually a condition of the skin alone. In very few patients discoid lupus might develop into systemic lupus. at present there is no cure.

Charity LUPUS UK – the organiser behind the current Lupus Awareness Month – estimates that in Britain there may be more than 54,000 sufferers, of which 90 per cent are female, largely between the ages of 15 and 55.

Lupus is more common in black and Asian races where the incidence rate is one in 250 women as opposed to one in 1,000 in white women.

Aside from the most common symptoms of fatigue and joint pain, warning signs include kidney problems, depression, headaches, a permanent rash across the face, mental illness, hair loss, rashes from sunlight/UV light or other cerebral problems and flu-like symptoms. Even thought there is no cure for lupus, there are treatments (non-steroidals, aspirin and anti-malarials, steroids and immunosuppressants).

With careful monitoring of the disease, a treatment programme and medication and lifestyle adjustments, the majority of patients are able to live a normal life.

Yvonne Norton, chairman of the West Midlands Lupus UK group, says misdiagnosis still happens, particularly among GPs, but awareness of the condition is slowly increasing.

She said: “ Our group started in 1979and we have about 600 members over six counties including Staffordshire.

“We have tried to reach out to GPs in a number of ways so that they can diagnose lupus better, including a book written by 22 leading consultants which we provide free of charge to every surgery in the country. We have also put together a booklet for nurses and other health professionals and we can provide 19 different fact sheets which tackle the different aspects of lupus such as lupus in the brain, on the skin and so on.

“We put out a national magazine three times a year as well as having a national and regional website which can offer information and advice.

“We still find GPs are ignorant of the condition but we have a very good relationship with consultants in the area who often refer patients to us for support and information.

“We are also very proud to be launching the first LUPUS UK Drop-In Clinic in Dudley which we’re hoping will be a success so that we can set them up in other areas.

“We can offer information and support in several ways. People often call me and I can recommend a consultant to them if they’re struggling to get an appointment.

“But I think the most important thing for most people when they call is that they’re so pleased to speak to someone who knows what they’re going through.

“I was diagnosed in 1975 – I was on a life support machine at one point and then given two years to live but I’m still here, so I’ve been there and bought the T-shirt.”

Yvonne said people diagnosed with the condition are often frightened that it will be fatal.

She said; “I can offer them reassurance. Lupus can be fatal when it affects the kidneys, it can be mild for some and disabling for others. Everyone is affected differently.

“But usually once someone is diagnosed their condition can be stabilised and they will have a normal life span.

“The thing common to all sufferers is fatigue, one of the worst aspects.

“That is why we are looking into funding research into what triggers fatigue in sufferers so that we can discover how to combat it.
“Sadly, lupus is something of a Cinderella in the health service and there isn’t a lot of funding for research. LUPUS UK have funded seven dedicated lupus nurses as well as additional nursing staff with special knowledge of lupus.

“We have sent a survey out to primary Care Trusts to find out what facilities they have for lupus sufferers.

“I have to say the results so far are disappointing.

“It’s very sad, as the last thing someone who is very ill wants to have to do id to have to fight for decent treatment.”

How Lupus changed Linda’s life

It was a long time before 52-year old Linda Bache was diagnosed correctly with lupus, a notoriously difficult condition to spot because of its wide range of symptoms. Linda, of Chell, said: “I was about 46 when it all started. I began to get aches and pains and I also had some problems with my eyes which caused them to swell.

“I actually had to go to work in dark glasses as I found sunlight and the lights in my office too much.

“Then I would go to get up and my legs would lock and my fingers would ache. I found I was getting so tired I had difficulty getting to work.

“It was a hectic job – I worked in customer services – and I put it down to that at first, but everyone else seemed to be coping. Then I thought I might have severe arthritis, so I went to the doctor for a blood test but they couldn’t find anything.

“Next I came out in a bad rash all over my body. Some of the weals were bigger than a 10 pence piece and the second time that happened I went into hospital.

“”They didn’t know what it was at first and I was put in the infectious diseases ward overnight. I was given antihistamine tablets then I was sent home, but it happened again and this time they thought it was meningitis.”

Eventually following a series of tests and scans, Linda was diagnosed as having lupus – a condition she had never heard of.

She said: “I was quite shocked as being an immune disease, lupus can affect any part of your body.

“The doctors couldn’t say what had triggered it.

“I’ve got no family history of it as far as I know so I had to do a lot of research about it myself.

“I felt totally lost and very alone at that point as no one seemed to know much about it. It was all really stressful.

“My husband bill was devastated and the extreme tiredness meant I had to give up work. St first I was prescribed very strong steroids which make you feel marvellous but have their own side effects. I put on a stone in weight and my face became quite bulbous, which is a terrible thing for a woman – I’d always been quite a slim person before. Now I really have to pace myself because of the tiredness.
“If I overdo it one day, I’ll be exhausted the next.

“I can’t rush around anymore doing things like the housework, and chores can take me a whole morning.

“Bill has been very sympathetic and he does help out. He’ll tackle the gardening as I just don’t have the energy.

“I have to be careful as I’m susceptible to catch anything. I’m not supposed to go abroad in case I catch something, or go on a plane for more than three hours because I have breathing problems. That really is a nuisance as it means I can’t visit anywhere exotic and I feel I can’t live my life to the full.

“But I do try and make the most of my life, keeping busy within my limitations and staying positive. I set up a lupus support group because it’s nice to be able to chat to people with the same problems.”

NEWSPAPER:  

SOLIHULL NEWS

Solihull Edition

PAGE.: Page 8

DATE:

Friday, 10th October 2003
 

TITLE: 

Hidden killer

October is lupus Awareness month and fund-raisers fighting the disease, which affects the immune system, say it’s never been more needed.

While celebrities have dedicated hours to raising the profile of Aids, the same cannot be said for a condition known as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus which sufferers claim has a similarly devastating effect.

While everyone knows Aid is a deficiency in the immune system lupus is exactly the opposite – an overactive immunity which attacks the vital organs. Common symptoms are extreme fatigue, kidney problems, migraine and depression.

LUPUS UK estimates there are 50,000 people in the UK with some form of the disease and one is Hockley Heath’s Michael Fenn.

The 51-year-old was diagnosed in 1977 and has confounded predications he would only live for five years but it hasn’t been easy.

“I had a kidney failure in the early 80s and a triple heart bypass in 1996. Both were related to the lupus,” said the resident of Muntz Crescent.

“My kidneys started leaking protein and blood and at one time I was close to dying. It was touch and go. I pulled through but it took me six months of treatment and the organ was scarred,” he said.

At that time not much was known about the condition but what was common knowledge in medical circles was this average life expectancy of five years.

“Lupus has cost me some good jobs. I got offers in Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Having sailed through the interview and been offered the job it all changed after the medical examination.

“Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council offered me a job and did a medical but the doctor who did it said I had only got about five years to live. Obviously I didn’t get it,” said Michael.

“The hardest thing is that GPs do not take the symptoms seriously so we have sent them a diagnosis guide. Even doctors have a misunderstanding about what Lupus is.”

There is a support group in the West Midlands who can be contacted on 01902 498236 or found at www.westmidlandslupus.co.uk   
 

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: Page 20

DATE:

Wednesday, 1st October 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley
 

TITLE: 

Clinic to help people with incurable disease

Community leaders will be out in force in the Black Country for the launch of the UK’s first clinic dedicated to those who suffer with an incurable disease.

The Lupus drop-in clinic will be launched on Friday at the Guest Hospital, Dudley, and patients and carers are being invited to attend. Dudley North MP Ross Cranston will officially open the clinic and the Mayor of Dudley Councillor Rosemary Tomkinson will also lend her support.

The joint venture between West Midlands Lupus Group and the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust in the rehabilitation unit will offer a central point for patients to pick up information and meet other sufferers.

Advice from a nurse practitioner will be given only to Lupus patients under the care of consultants in the Dudley borough.

All West Midlands sufferers will benefit from the social aspect of the centre.

The clinic is the brainchild of Coseley woman Yvonne Norton, diagnosed with Lupus more than 25 years ago, and is supported by consultants in Dudley under the leadership of Dr. George Kitas, consultant Rheumatologist at the Guest Hospital.

Lupus is an incurable auto-immune disease which can affect any part of the body, causing miscarriage, depression, joint and muscle problems and destruction of kidneys, heart and lungs.

The disease left Mrs Norton, chairman of West Midlands Lupus Group, in a wheelchair but she hopes the clinic will help raise the profile of the condition.

“Lupus can be a lonely and isolating disease and it is hoped that through attending the Lupus drop-in clinic patients will benefit from meeting others in similar circumstances and from knowing there is support and information available to them,” she said.

The clinic will be launched at 2pm on Friday. Monthly sessions start from October 31 to run between 2pm and 4pm.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: Page 21

DATE:

Monday, 21st  September 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley
 

TITLE: 

Drop-in clinic will be UK’s first for disease

The UK’s first clinic for those who suffer with an incurable disease is to be launched in Dudley. The Lupus drop-in clinic will be launched on October 3 at the Guest Hospital.

The joint venture between West Midlands Lupus Group and the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust in the rehabilitation unit will offer a central point for patients to pick up information and meet other sufferers. Advice from a nurse practitioner will be given only to Lupus patients under the care of consultants in the Dudley borough.

All West Midlands sufferers will benefit from the social aspect of the centre.

The clinic is the brainchild of Coseley woman Yvonne Norton diagnosed with Lupus more than 25 years ago, and is supported by consultants in Dudley under the leadership of Dr. George Kitas, consultant Rheumatologist at Guest.

Lupus is an incurable auto-immune disease which can affect any part of the body, causing miscarriage, depression, joint and muscle problems and destruction of kidneys, heart and lungs.

The disease left Mrs Norton, chairman of West Midlands Lupus Group, in a wheelchair but she hopes the clinic will help raise the profile of the condition.

“Lupus can be a lonely and isolating disease and it is hoped that through attending the Lupus drop-in clinic patients will benefit from meeting others in similar circumstances and from knowing there is support and information available to them,” she said.

The clinic will be launched by Dudley North MP Ross Cranston on October 3. Monthly sessions start from October 31 (2pm-4pm).

To find out more about West Midlands Lupus Group call Mrs Norton on 01902 498236 or go to www.westmidlandslupus.co.uk

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: Page ?

DATE:

Tuesday, 9th September 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley
 

TITLE: 

Lupus support

A Black Country support group has raised thousands of pounds to fund a medical researcher dedicated to looking into an incurable disease.   Veronica Toescu started her work into Lupus, an auto-immune disease which can destroy organs and cause miscarriages, at Birmingham's Queen
Elizabeth hospital on Monday,1st September.   She has been funded by the West Midlands Lupus Group, which raises around £35,000 a year to pay for a nurse and research assistant at the hospital.  Veronica will work as a research assistant alongside nurse Kate Peers - the pair are the only Lupus researchers in the country funded entirely by patients
and their families.   Yvonne Norton, of Coseley, chairman of the West Midlands Lupus Group,
said Veronica was taking over from a previous assistant who had taken early retirement.
"She will be working on a database to pull together all the information that the doctors pick up about patients with Lupus," she said.  "She will also be working on a community project comparing the incidents of Lupus in different sections of the community."   Mrs Norton, of Legge Lane, has been a Lupus sufferer since 1975, and was the driving force behind an all-party Parliamentary group set up to raise awareness of the condition.  She said the group had recently received two donations. One came from staff at Asda in Tipton who raised £1,470 from raffles and a Valentine's Dance.   The second came from Sedgley man Carl Turley who ran the London Marathon on behalf of the group and pulled in £1,925.  Mrs Norton said the group was extremely grateful for all the help shown by dedicated fundraisers.    The next meeting of the group takes place on October 19 at Warley Baptist Church Hall in Castle Road East, at 2.30pm. Speaker will be Ann Wild, rheumatology nurse practitioner for the Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust.
 

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: Page 15

DATE:

1st Sep. 2003

REPORTER: 

Info soon
 

TITLE: 

£1,400 for funds

Workers at a Tipton supermarket have raised more than £1,400 for charity with a series of events. Staff at Asda at Princes End collected £1,470 for Lupus after holding raffles and other events over the past few months.
 

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 15

DATE:

14th June 2003

REPORTER: 

John Corser
 

TITLE: 

Appeal to assist victims of lupus

An MP is urging a Dudley health trust to step up its support for people with the disease lupus.

Lupus is an incurable disease of the immune system and can cause miscarriages, depression and the destruction of kidneys, heart and lungs.

Now Dudley North MP Ross Cranston has written to Dudley Beacon and Castle Primary Care Trust to find out what services are available for lupus sufferers.

He said the Government wanted to raise the profile of the disease.

Mr. Cranston is asking trust chief executive Robert Bacon to detail what assessment the NHS has made of the number of patients within its area suffering from the disease.

He said: “Lupus is a disease that has a wide variety of symptoms and can often be difficult to diagnose, but sufferers do have specific needs, and an assessment of the level of sufferers in the area is important in determining the level of care needed.”

He is urging the trust to work with the LUPUS UK charity to raise awareness of the disease in Dudley.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 6

DATE:

12th June 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley
 

TITLE: 

Meeting to seek cash for research

A Black Country woman held a meeting with a top Government minister to ask for more funding and research into an incurable disease.

Yvonne Norton, chairman of the West Midlands Lupus Group, met Health Minister Jacqui Smith to call for NHS funding for Lupus nurses through primary care trusts (PCTs).

At present the Government does not fund Lupus staff through the NHS. The seven full and part-time nurses who work in hospitals across the country are funded by LUPUS UK.

The West Midlands branch supports a Lupus nurse, technician and researcher at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

Mrs Norton, of Legge Lane, Coseley, has been a Lupus sufferer since 1975 and the disease, which can destroy organs and cause miscarriages, has left her confined to a wheelchair.

She was the driving force behind an all-party Parliamentary group set up to raise awareness of the autoimmune disease and held a meeting with group members and the minister in London on Tuesday (10).

Mrs Norton said the aim of the meeting was to ask Jacqui Smith to take up the issue of NHS funding for Lupus nurses.

Anyone who would like to find out more can contact 01902 498236.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 4 and 5

DATE:

22nd May 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley
 

TITLE: 

Funds raised by medical drama

Stars from the TV medical dramas Casualty and Doctors were the celebrity guests at a glittering charity ball.

Three members of the Casualty cast, an actress from Doctors, a celebrity cook, a news presenter and a comedian attended the Butterfly Ball, in aid of the West Midlands Lupus Group.

The star-studded event raised £3,000 for the charity.

Lupus is an incurable genetic disease which can cause miscarriages and the destruction of kidneys, hearts and lungs.

Organisers Yvonne Norton, chairwoman of the West Midlands Lupus Group, and the charity’s patron, Coral Chapman said the event at the Ramada Hotel and Resort in Sutton Coldfield, was a success.

The evening was compered by DJ Jimmy Franks and auction lots included a racket from Anna Kournikova, a signed Wolves football, a Villa shirt and a cricket print signed by Fred Truman.
 

NEWSPAPER:  

BIRMINGHAM POST

PAGE.: 

Page 17

DATE:

7th May 2003

REPORTER: 

Post People Supplement
With pictures by Andrew Fisher
 

TITLE: 

Stars shine at Butterfly Ball

The LUPUS UK Celebrity Butterfly Ball was held at the Ramada Hotel, Sutton Coldfield where guests included deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Coun Jim Whorwood, Chris Colquhoun, Sarah Manners and Martina Laird from BBC’s Casualty, Eva Fontaine from BBC’s Doctors, comedian Steve Nallon and Rustie Lee.

During the evening a balloon raffle and auction raised around £3,000 to help continue funding the LUPUS UK specialist nurse and the LUPUS UK research assistant at the QE and City Hospital. Auction lots included a tennis racquet and cover signed by Anna Kournikova, a signed Aston Villa shirt and a football signed by Wolverhampton Wanderers FC, a tour of the Morgan motor company and ride round the Malvern Hills in the Aero 8 Supercar, a nurses uniform and a paramedic jumpsuit signed by the cast of Casualty.

Roy G Hemmings and The Dictionary of Soul provided the live entertainment and the MC for the night was Jimmy Franks.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 18

DATE:

29th April 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley

TITLE: 

Support Group Funds Disease Researcher

A Black Country support group has raised thousands of pounds to fund a medical researcher dedicated to looking into an incurable disease.

Kate Rodgers will begin her work into Lupus, a disease which can destroy organs and cause miscarriages, at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital on Thursday.

She has been funded by the West Midlands Lupus Group, which raises around £35,000 a year to pay for a nurse and research assistant at the hospital. Kate will become the only Lupus research assistant in the country funded entirely by patients and their families.

Yvonne Norton, of Coseley, chairman of the West Midlands Lupus Group, said Kate was taking over from a previous assistant who had returned to university to pursue her own studies.

“She will be running Lupus clinics and undertaking different projects and questionnaires to pull people together, “ she said. “We have got two full-time and four part-time nurses and assistants around the country, but Kate is the only one funded entirely by Lupus patients and donations, the others have partial NHS funding.

“We are trying to get some NHS funding for her. Last year we raised £35,000 just towards the Queen Elizabeth nurse and research assistant and we remain the biggest fundraising Lupus group in the country.”

Mrs Norton, of Legge Lane, has been a Lupus sufferer since 1975, and was the driving force behind an all-party Parliamentary group set up to raise awareness of the condition.

MPs are being urged by the group to lobby health chiefs as part of a campaign to gain Lupus nurses funded through primary care trusts.

To help raise funds for Lupus a jumble sale is being held from 6.30pm on Thursday at Darkhouse Baptist Church, Coseley.
 

NEWSPAPER:  

GREAT BARR

OBSERVER

PAGE.: 

Page 2

DATE:

24th April 2003

TITLE: 

Youngsters Ready For Bric-a-brac Table-top Sale

A group of Great Barr youngsters have put their free-time to good use this Easter, by organising a table-top sale for charity.

The enterprising foursome will be holding the bric-a-brac bonanza on Saturday, April 26, and bargain hunters are invited to come along.

Money raised will be donated to the charity LUPUS UK, which supports sufferers of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

The children are Martin Thompson, Rhiane Givans, Alycia Givans and Taryn Anderson.

And Sue Thompson, Martins’ mum, said she was very proud of them.

“From the word go they wanted to do it for charity.”

“They have been making leaflets to advertise it and organising things to sell, hopefully people will come along and support them.”

The table-top sale will take place in Dorrington Road from 12noon onwards.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 33

DATE:

28th April 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley

TITLE: 

From E&S appeal to helping 600 people

When Yvonne Norton was diagnosed with Lupus more than 25 years ago, her first port of call was a letter to the Express & Star.

The Coseley woman wanted to make contact with other people in the same situation to discuss their condition and offer each other support.

Her first letter gained just four replies, but 28 hard-working and dedicated years on, Yvonne now offers a lifeline to more than 600 people across the West Midlands and thousands more across the UK.

Lupus is an incurable auto-immune disease which can cause miscarriages, depression and the destruction of kidneys, heart and lungs. Although it has left her confined to a wheelchair, Yvonne is determined to raise the profile of the condition.

To this end she has spent two years compiling a medical guide book which is currently on GPs shelves in more than 13,000 surgeries across the country.

She was also the driving force behind an all-party Parliamentary group which has received backing from Tory MP Ann Widdecombe, as well as Midlands MPs Ross Cranston, Debra Shipley, Dennis Turner, Dr. Richard Taylor, Adrian Bailey, Julie Kirkbride, Gisela Stuart and David Kidney.

As chairwoman of the West Midlands Lupus Group, she organises meetings, fundraises to support a Lupus nurse, technician and researcher at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, and an annual Butterfly Ball, attracting big-name TV actors.

“This is the group’s 25th year,” said Yvonne, “and from four people who wrote to me after seeing my letter in the Express & Star, we have got around 600 people on our membership list.

“We want more helpers to join the committee as there are only four of us, and we are also in need of people who can write letters to supporters and members, and make telephone calls for us.”

For information about the group contact Yvonne on 01902 498236

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 26

DATE:

18th April 2003

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley

TITLE: 

Support At Session

A meeting is being held in the Black Country to offer support and advice to sufferers from the auto-immune disease Lupus. The West Midlands Lupus Group is holding the get-together at Warley Baptist Church Hall in Castle Road East at 2.30pm, on April 27.

Speakers will be Dr David Taylor, consultant dermatologist at New Cross Hospital in Wolverhampton, and cosmetic camouflage expert Iris Linn. Lupus is a genetic disease that mainly affects women. More information about the group is available from chairman Yvonne Norton on 01902 498236.
 

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 25

DATE:

11th April 2003

REPORTER: 

Jane Beese

TITLE: 

Charity Getting A Run Boost

Athletic fundraisers from all over the UK are gearing up to run this year’s London Marathon in aid of a charity which helps people with an incurable genetic disease.

Fourteen runners from areas including Sedgley, Great Barr, Solihull, Essex, South Wales, Colchester and Surrey will be taking up the charity challenge in aid of the West Midlands Lupus Group.

The line-up includes a flight lieutenant from the RAF who has come back from the Gulf on a break and is running even though he is on emergency stand-by to go back to Iraq.

There is also a husband and wife team, Jenny and Ian Etheridge, taking part from Colchester as well as Sedgley man Carl Turley.

Lupus is an incurable genetic disease.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 18

DATE:

9th April 2003

REPORTER: 

Jane Beese

TITLE: 

TV Stars Lend Their Support To Charity Ball

Stars from the TV medical dramas Casualty and Doctors were the celebrity guests at a glittering charity ball.

Three members of the Casualty cast, an actress from Doctors, a celebrity cook, a news presenter and a comedian attended the Butterfly Ball in aid of the West Midlands Lupus Group.

The star-studded event raised £3,000 for the charity, which helps fund a specialist nurse at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth and City Hospitals and a research assistant.

Lupus is an incurable genetic disease which can cause miscarriages and the destruction of kidneys, hearts and lungs.

Organisers Yvonne Norton, chairwoman of the West Midlands Lupus Group, and the charity’s patron Coral Chapman, who also has a small part in Casualty, had been hoping Casualty actor Kwame Kwei-Armah would make an appearance.

But, because his filming schedule was switched at the last minute, he had to miss out on the event held at the Ramada Hotel & Resort in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday.

Instead fellow actors stood in and brought along a signed nurse’s uniform and signed paramedic’s jumpsuit to auction off.

The Casualty actors included Chris Colquhoun, who plays Dr Simon Karminski, Martina Laird who plays paramedic Comfort Jones, and Sarah Manners, who plays receptionist Bex.

Other big-name guests were celebrity chef Rustie Lee, Central news presenter Arati Halai, Eva Fontaine who play nurse Faith Walker in Doctors and Steve Nallon the impersonator behind Spitting Image.

Mrs Norton, of Coseley, said it was a fantastic night and was thrilled with the support they received.

The evening was compered by DJ Jimmy Franks and auction lots included a tennis racket from Anna Kournikova, a signed Wolves football, an Aston Villa shirt and a cricket print signed by Fred Trueman.

NEWSPAPER:  

EXPRESS & STAR

Dudley Edition

PAGE.: 

Page 20

DATE:

28th March 03

REPORTER: 

Caroline Redley

TITLE: 

TV Stars Backing Charity Ball Date.