Cleft

The success of the Student Ambassadors

The new CLEFT student section was six months in planning and eventually launched in September 2021. We celebrate their enthusiasm and contribution here, Read more
Global cleft care

Matt Fell and Brian Sommerlad presented at the Craniofacial Society of Great Britain and Ireland conference in September 2021 on Global Cleft Care. Read more
Nawrin and the C-Arm

This important piece of equipment was supplied by CLEFT and is used to see moving images of the cleft palate. Nawrin is a 13 year old girl who was experiencing speech difficulties and needed the C-Arm to show the cleft team if further surgery was required. Read more
Our mission

CLEFT was established in 2007 with one aim, to help improve the lives of children born with cleft lip and palate, either by funding research into the likely causes of the condition or by helping support teams in lower and middle income countries. Read more

We aim to provide long-term, sustainable ways to bridge the gap in cleft care and knowledge in the UK and overseas

Ibrahim's Story

Ibrahim was born with a craniofacial cleft and has a difficult journey ahead of him. Follow his journey here so far.

P.L.A.T. project

The Parent Led Articulation Therapy (P.L.A.T) project has been looking at improving speech outcomes for children by enabling parents to help their children with cleft palate speech difficulties.

Training aids for surgeons

A USB stick containing 7 complete lip or palate surgical procedures is available on request and FREE to surgeons.

Coffee & Cake for CLEFT

Hold a coffee and cake morning with your friends and family this February.

Our impact

1 in 700	children are born with a cleft palate.
£40	the cost of a cleft operation on a baby in a low-income country.
£250	cost to give treatment over a lifetime.

Make a donation

Please select a donation amount (required)

£250

Can cover the lifetime cleft care needed for one child in a lower income country, including operations, speech therapy and dentistry.

£40

Can cover the cost of a cleft lip and palate operation in a low-income country by paying for essential anaesthetic and suture material.

£5

Can pay for 5 dental kits to provide patients and parents in Bangladesh with tools and education to improve dental hygiene.

Other

Set up a regular payment Donate

Breakthroughs in cleft research

FOXF2 gene discovery

A genetic defect has been identified in a family from Egypt with a type of palate abnormality and speech disorder apparently not previously described. The FOXF2 research is one of the many projects currently funded by CLEFT, paid for with money raised by our donors and fundraisers. Read more
MRI Speech Assessment

This important research looked at using MRI to assess whether further surgery could improve speech for people with repaired clefts. Read more
New paper published in the Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal

Research that CLEFT funded shows how a pioneering surgical technique results in a very low rate of secondary speech surgery and very good speech outcomes in children aged 5 years of age, with less need for speech therapy. Read more
P.L.A.T. project

The Parent Led Articulation Therapy (P.L.A.T) project has been looking at improving speech outcomes for children by enabling parents to help their children with cleft palate speech difficulties. Read more

Our impact

1 in 700

£40

£250

Make a donation

Breakthroughs in cleft research