For the third time I am competing in the 'Original Mountain Marathon' with my eldest son, Patrick. While we are becoming more experienced, the race definitely does not seem to be getting any easier! This year it is in the Howgills in Cumbria at the end of October. The Mountain Marathon is as tough as the name implies with 11 hours of racing over 2 days, with full packs, camping overnight and undoubtedly cold and wet winter weather! 

Once again we are raising funds for the Masanga hospital in Sierra Leone. We hope you consider it worthy of your support and we would be enormously grateful for any you can offer.

If you would like to support our efforts please visit :-

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Eaton10

or 

send a cheque (made payable to Masanga UK) to me at the Premier Foods address below.

If you have supported us before please feel no obligation to do so again, but any support will be most appreciated.  

Masanga is a project I am personally involved in as a trustee and it is long term. It has been described by a former member of the Sierra Leone government as the country’s best charity funded healthcare project.

Here are some key facts and an update on our progress:

• Masanga hospital is in the jungle, has 100 beds and serves children, mothers and adults from a wide area
• It was destroyed by the rebels in the civil war and re-opened in 2005 by Dr Peter Bo from Denmark
• 150,000 patients have been treated so far at a cost of just £5 per patient
• The hospital is supported by medics from Denmark, Norway, Holland and the UK in a unique international partnership
• The education facilities at Masanga are urgently addressing the severe shortage of local healthcare expertise (only 11 registered surgeons for 5.5m people!) through a 9 month nursing course, a new 3 year nursing college (license secured this year) and a surgical training programme  
• We will complete the Emergency Admissions and High Dependency unit this autumn to look after the sickest patients in the hospital with 24 hour care
• Our long term plan is to achieve sustainability through local funding

I visited the hospital in January and it was very moving to see first-hand what a huge impact your generosity is having on a very poor community.

Thank you for your help.

Geoff

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Geoff Eaton | Chief Operating Officer

Phone:                        01727 815899

Fax:                            01727 815991

Email:                         geoff.eaton@premierfoods.co.uk" target="_blank">geoff.eaton@premierfoods.co.uk

Premier foods plc, Centrium Business Park, Griffiths Way, St Albans, AL1 2RE

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