03.10.08

• Jeans for Genes Day 2008

• National event

Taking the theme of generations as the charity’s fundraising inspiration, Jeans for Genes Day 2008 will be a celebration of the way genes can filter down through families, influencing a person’s appearance, personality, career choices and even sense of humour!    

A host of celebrities will be encouraging people to pull on their jeans to generate funds, including Kelly Osbourne, who has shown her support by modelling a specially designed t-shirt to launch the campaign, fashion guru Nick Ede and TV presenter Kate Garraway.
Genes make us who we are

Genes make us who we are and affect the little things such as the colour of our eyes, hair and physical shape. But sometimes genes are faulty or are missing and even the tiniest difference in our genetic make-up can result in a genetic disorder which can have a massive impact on a child’s life, and that of their parents.

There are more than 4,000 known genetic disorders and they affect one in 33 babies born in the UK.  It’s a sad but little known fact that more than half of all childhood deaths in the UK are related to genetic disorders.
The difference you can make is in your jeans

The money raised by millions of people simply wearing their jeans, instead of their usual uniform or work clothes, on Jeans for Genes Day 2008 will go towards providing vital care for children born with genetic disorders as well as funding pioneering research into the causeandcureof these disorders.
As well as wearing jeans instead of their normal clothes, supporters will be invited to ‘generate’ even more funds by:

    * buying the exclusive campaign T-shirt as modelled by Kelly Osbourne
    * dressing up in the jeans fashions their parents and grand-parents might have worn
    * making and selling tasty cakes and dishes made with inherited family recipes  - celebrity chefs such as James Martin, Sophie Grigson and Antony Worrell-Thompson have contributed their own family favourites, handed down from family members
    * organising a ‘Generation Quiz’ at school or at work

Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity will benefit from funds raised through the Jeans for Genes 2008 campaign.

For more information visit www.jeansforgenes.com