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Winter 2022GEM Appeal Strawberry Sparkle Lunch

The 2022 Strawberry Sparkle Ladies Lunch at Rochdale Golf Club raised a record-breaking £3,878 for the GEM Appeal charity.

Guests enjoyed a fabulous afternoon in the name of raising money for research into rare genetic diseases.

Singer James Cockerill provided entertainment, whilst special guests, actors David Lonsdale (best known for his role as David in Heartbeat) and Jason Done (Merlin and Waterloo Road) assisted with the raffle.

Karen Johnson, chairman of the GEM Appeal, gave a heart-rending speech, explaining how pioneering research at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital has resulted in enzyme replacement therapy treatments being developed.

Research at the hospital’s Willink Unit laboratory, named after her sons Simon and Mikey, means rare genetic conditions, such as Hunter Syndrome – which both Karen’s boys suffered with – no longer means a death sentence, as it did for them.