Highclare School get behind fellow pupil 

Staff, parents, pupils and PTA members of Highclare School are entering the Great Midlands Fun Run to support fellow pupil, three year-old Annabelle Whitehouse and raise funds for the Ichthyosis Support Group.

Annabelle was born with an incurable skin condition Ichthyosis, but that doesn’t prevent her from attending Kindergarten at Highclare St Paul’s three days a week, despite having to follow a strict regime where her body has to be covered in special antiseptic grease and wrapped in bandages every two hours, and her hands and face in cream every 30 minutes.

Her mum Sonia, who along with family members and friends entered last year’s event and raised nearly £4000 for the support group, was thrilled when the school chose to nominate the Ichthyosis Support Group as its chosen charity for 2008.

“Annabelle is still too young to fully understand the implications of the condition but does occasionally ask where other people’s bandages are. Attending Kindergarten at Highclare has given her the opportunity to make new friends and enjoy as normal a life as she can. The school have been incredibly supportive and it’s wonderful that the staff, PTA and pupils are helping to raise money for the support group and raise the profile of Ichthyosis.”

There is currently no cure for Ichthyosis. It’s a lifelong condition and money raised for the support group is directed into research to try and identify the defective gene in the hope that even if a cure is not found life for those living with the condition can be made a little more comfortable.

Sharon Soen, who is co-ordinating Highclare’s team entry said: “Annabelle’s a really happy girl and a delight to have at the school. We’re expecting to have a larger team in the Fun Run this year with pupils, staff and parents from across all three of the school’s sites participating and helping to raise sponsorship money.”