A Father’s Day story – dad Jack raises funds for CLAPA with race car livery
CLAPA’s logo has been speeding around Silverstone and Brands Hatch, viewed by thousands of spectators – thanks to race enthusiast and dad Jack, whose son Luke was born with a cleft.
Jack has attached CLAPA race car livery to his Mazda MX-5 boot lid and bonnet – which he built with his dad Alan – to help raise awareness and “give something back” to CLAPA for the support given to his family. The artwork contains QR codes linking to Jack’s JustGiving page.
He said: “There’s been a really great response to it. It’s raising money for CLAPA, and also awareness. It also generated a really nice conversation with a couple whose granddaughter was born with a cleft lip.”
Jack said people see the vinyl stickers at the track, and when they’re towing the car to race meets, and ask about it.
“Most people are like us before we had Luke – they don’t know much about cleft, just those adverts with striking pictures of people with untreated clefts.
“Building awareness and having conversations is, for me, a big part of doing this – showing cleft doesn’t define someone, and people can live a normal life if they’re born with a cleft.”
“Building awareness and having conversations is, for me, a big part of doing this – showing cleft doesn’t define someone, and people can live a normal life if they’re born with a cleft. It’s very treatable if they’re fortunate enough to have access to medical treatments such as in the UK.”
Luke is Jack and Megan’s first child, and was born last December with a bilateral cleft lip and palate.
“We knew from the 20-week scan, but there was a long difficult period of the unknown – not knowing the extent of Luke’s cleft, if we were going to be able to feed him properly, if there were going to be any more problems or complications, and if his palate was going to be affected. Especially for a first pregnancy, it was a very stressful time.”
Fortunately, they were registered at Broomfield Hospital, which has a resident NHS Cleft Team. The team signposted Jack and Megan to CLAPA, and they joined our parent’s Facebook group, received our welcome pack, and have ordered bottles and teats from the website.
“Megan and I have been just so overwhelmed with the kindness and support from CLAPA – we wanted to show our appreciation every way we can, and thought the car livery could help.”
“The support from our cleft nurses at Broomfield has been excellent. And Megan and I have been just so overwhelmed with the kindness and support from CLAPA – we wanted to show our appreciation every way we can, and thought the car livery could help.”
Jack said Megan had further complications with her pregnancy, due to gestational diabetes, so had to be induced. Unfortunately, the induction didn’t work, and Megan had to have an emergency caesarean on a Friday afternoon, just in time for the cleft nurses to check Luke over and show them how to feed him before the weekend.
“It was a very stressful time, but family and friends helped us through, as well as the fantastic work from the cleft team, and the ongoing much-needed day-to-day support from CLAPA.
“Luke’s first operation in March was obviously another stressful time. Because he’s so young, hopefully he won’t remember any of it. I think it’s probably more stressful for us as parents!
“We were very lucky the main surgeon who did the operation was really down to earth, and explained things so well in a non-medical way that we could understand.
“Luke’s change of appearance was a really weird emotion though, and we missed what he looked like before. It took a while to get used to.”
Jack said he hopes that having the CLAPA logo as part of his race car livery will help reduce the stigma attached to cleft, and spread awareness wide.
He recently raced the car at Silverstone and Brands Hatch. Both races had many spectators at the tracks, and the events were also live streamed on YouTube.
“The race at Brands Hatch was very busy, because there was quite a big series on at the same time. There were a few thousand people spectating, and seeing the CLAPA logo on the car.”
“The race at Brands Hatch was very busy, because there was quite a big series on at the same time. There were a few thousand people spectating, and seeing the CLAPA logo on the car.”
Jack explained motorsport is raced in formulas and series – the most famous being Formula 1.
He races his Mazda MX-5 in a series called the Miata Trophy – Miata being the US name for Mazda MX-5.
“I’ve been racing for about four years, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, and I’ve been spectating for years since I was a kid. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to actually race, until a chance meeting at work with someone whose dad owns Boreham Motorsport.
“I already had an MX-5 that I was driving on the road. We got talking, and then I started to go along to race meetings and help out as a mechanic.
“I’m an accountant, but I learnt mechanics from my dad growing up.”
“I’m an accountant, but I learnt mechanics from my dad growing up.”
When Jack had an opportunity to build his own race car, he and his mechanic dad built it from a Mazda that was about to be scrapped.
“It didn’t even have an engine so we built a replacement engine together, which was a really nice thing to do. Ray at Boreham Motorsport really helped with the rest of the car as well, and guided me through, because he’s built so many race cars before.
“We gave the car a second lease of life. And now it’s got the CLAPA logo onboard hopefully it’s doing good work spreading awareness too.”
To help Jack fundraise for CLAPA visit www.justgiving.com/page/jack-hargraves
Thank you
Thank you Jack and Megan for sharing your story with us.
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