International Steering Committee

CLEFT's overseas activities are monitored by the International Steering Committee who also make recommendations for new projects and how money should be spent.

Marc Swan

Clinical Director for the Spires Cleft Centre in Oxford and Salisbury Read more

Madhavi Seshu

Consultant Cleft Orthodontist, Alder Hey Hospital Liverpool Read more

Imogen Underwood

Lead / Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, West Midlands Regional Cleft Lip and Palate Service Read more

Rowan Griffiths

Photojournalist based in South Wales Read more

Paul Whittaker

I began working with CLEFT as a filmmaker and photographer in 2016, initially to highlight the progress of the multi-disciplinary cleft centre CLEFT has helped create in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Read more

Kate Le Marechal

Dr Kate le Maréchal is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has worked as the Clinical Psychology Lead within the Evelina London Cleft Service since 2009. Read more

David Orr, Consultant Plastic Surgeon

David Orr has been a Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Our Lady's Children's Hospital and St James's Hospital, Dublin since 1998. Read more

Dr Triona Sweeney (BA, MSc, PhD) is a Cleft Specialist Speech & Language Therapist. She is a Founder and co-Director with Dr Debbie Sell of Speech at Home, an online therapy resource centre which aims to empower parents of children with cleft palate to deliver speech therapy at home under the supervision of a speech and language therapist. Read more

Neil Brierley

I am currently working as a national TIG fellow in Cleft Lip and Palate surgery in the Northern and Yorkshire Cleft Lip & Palate service. I live in Leeds with my son. Read more

Khurram Khan, Consultant Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgeon

Hello! I am a Consultant Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgeon working at Birmingham Children's Hospital. Read more

Patricia Rorison

I am a Consultant in Cleft Lip & Palate and Plastic Surgery. Read more

Helen Robson

Clinical Nurse Specialist Read more

David Sainsbury

I am delighted to be a Trustee of CLEFT and am very enthusiastic at the prospect of helping teams around the world to provide the best possible care for individuals with a cleft. Read more

Tim Goodacre, Chair of the International Steering Committee

Bruce Richard

Consultant Cleft Surgeon (retired). Read more

Matt Fell

I am excited to work with the CLEFT charity team, as part of the UK’s collaborative effort to help improve cleft care in the UK and overseas. Read more

Debbie Sell, Senior Research Fellow/ Speech and Language Therapist

Dr Debbie Sell is a Senior Research Fellow at Great Ormond Street Hospital and until 2018, Speech and Language Therapist in the North Thames Regional Cleft Service. Read more

Raouf Chorbachi, Consultant Audio-Vestibular Physician

Dr Chorbachi is Consultant Audio-Vestibular Physician for the North Thames Cleft Services at Great Ormond Street Hospital and St Andrew's Centre, Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford. Read more

Marie Pinkstone

I am delighted and honoured to be a trustee of CLEFT. CLEFT is a charity that represents my values and commitment to research and treatment for patients and families affected by cleft. Read more

Richard Allan

I became aware of CLEFT through discussion with Brian Sommerlad and was invited to become a trustee. Read more

Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees

For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate. Read more

Latest

Javid's 10k Fundraising Run

My son Elvin was born with a cleft lip in 2024. But thanks to the NHS, we got world class care and the result was unrecognisable. Sometimes we remember the fact that he used to have a cleft and we miss his huge carefree cleft smile. But unfortunately not every child has access to the same professional support. It is Elvin's 2nd birthday this week, so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to run 10k fundraising for CLEFT - to help other children across the world, bridging the gap.
LF1 Cleft Charity

We are raising money with the LF1 division of the Cleft Charity at Charles University, Prague, to support sustainable, long-term improvements in cleft care. Through fundraising and awareness initiatives at LF1, we aim to contribute to the main UK Cleft Charity’s mission of improving access to cleft treatment, multidisciplinary care, and support services for patients and families both in the UK and internationally.
London Marathon 2027

1.33 million people applied for the London Marathon 2027. For the first time ever CLEFT has a guaranteed place. We are looking for someone incredible to run the London Marathon for CLEFT. Could that person be you?
Sarah’s 10K for Cleft UK

I am raising money to provide long-term, sustainable ways to improve cleft care both in the UK and overseas.

Donate to CLEFT

You can make a one-off donation today or sign up to giving a regular monthly gift. All donations, small or large, will help us to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate both now and in the future.
National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery

We are working with Bangladeshi specialists at the new National Institute of Burns and Plastic Surgery to create a sustainable centre to treat children with cleft lip and palate.
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.
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.
About us

CLEFT was established in 2007 by cleft surgeon Brian Sommerlad - based at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, together with a former patient and a patient's grandmother.
The genetics of cleft lip and palate

Investigations into the genetics of cleft lip and palate to understand more about why cleft lip and palate occurs.
Brian Sommerlad, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Chair of Trustees

For over 40 years, I have been involved in operating on babies, children and adults who have been born with cleft lip and/or palate.
Our research vision

At CLEFT, our vision is of a future where clefts are preventable. Until we get there, we want to improve the lives of those born with cleft lip and palate.
Trusts and Foundations

Today, 1-in-700 babies in the UK are born with a cleft lip and palate, the most common form of birth defect. The impact on a child’s life as they grow is profound. Typically, they will need at least four operations. They may also require ongoing tests, treatment or therapy. It will affect the way they look but also their speech, hearing and dental development. It can leave deep psychological scars.
Privacy Policy

PRIVACY POLICY