This academic year, students across the UK and beyond have been showing up for CLEFT in the most creative, energetic, and inspiring ways. From crochet workshops in Prague to surgical skills evenings in London, the variety and originality of what this generation of future healthcare professionals has organised is something to celebrate.

It began in September with CLEFT Quest, a flexible charity run, walk, or cycle challenge linking students at Hull-York and Newcastle Universities. Rather than a fixed route or date, participants logged their own distances via a shared Strava community - a simple but clever idea that made it easy for anyone to get involved, wherever they were. Students at Queen's University Belfast took a similar spirit and gave it a social twist, organising a relaxed community run around Belfast followed by food and drinks - proof that fundraising works best when it brings people together.

Sport continued to be a theme, with Newcastle University's Dentsoc Netball Tournament drawing together eight to ten teams of dental students for a day of competitive fun, complete with a bake sale running alongside. The event raised an impressive £464. Meanwhile, students at the University of Manchester kept things refreshingly simple with a sponsored walk - sometimes the most straightforward ideas are the most effective.

Bake sales have long been a student staple, but QUB's dental students have made theirs something genuinely special. Their "take what you want, leave what you can" policy has become a hallmark of their annual fundraiser - an approach that feels as warm and inclusive as the cause itself. It raised £303. A similar bake sale at Barts and The London was woven into a full teaching series on congenital plastic surgery, raising awareness of cleft conditions among the next generation of surgeons while raising funds at the same time.

Some of the most innovative events this year have come from students who found ways to combine education with fundraising. Imperial College London hosted a suturing workshop alongside a talk on cleft care, raising £235. Barts and The London organised an ambitious congenital plastics teaching series with a dedicated session on CLEFT's global work. And at Charles University in Prague, students paid to attend a crochet club - making Christmas gifts while raising money for children born with cleft conditions. It's hard to think of a more original idea.

Awareness has been just as important as fundraising. At TRIDENT Belfast 2026, one of Ireland's largest dental student events, a CLEFT stall welcomed over 250 students from across Ireland, with conversations, flyers, and freebies helping to spread the word. The BLAPRAS 4th National Undergraduate Conference at Barts brought plastic surgery subspecialties to life for students nationwide, with CLEFT featured as part of the programme. And Dundee Dental Student Society's annual Charities Week - led this year by a CLEFT student ambassador who is also society president - included both a bake sale and a quiz night.

There has also been celebration alongside fundraising. QUB's 3rd year dental students marked the halfway point of their undergraduate degree with a gala dinner and raffle in aid of CLEFT, raising £367 - a meaningful way to honour a milestone by giving back.

Across all of these events, what stands out is not just the money raised or the miles covered - it's the enthusiasm, the creativity, and the genuine commitment of students who are finding their own ways to make a difference. Many of them are the future surgeons, dentists, and clinicians who will one day treat patients with cleft conditions. That they are already championing this cause says everything.

 

Want to get involved? Find out how you can organise your own student fundraiser for CLEFT.