#keepstokesmiling
Blakemans support the effort to improve the smiles and dental health of the children of Stoke and North Staffs
Consultant Orthodontist Dr Karen Juggins launched #keepstokesmiling with the aim of both educating on and improving the dental health of the youth of Stoke and North Staffordshire.
Dr Juggins, as an Orthodontic consultant at Royal Stoke University Hospital, was all too aware of the fact that Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire have some of the highest rates of tooth decay in the entire country and felt compelled into action on one fateful day, back in 2018. She explained:
“What really made me decide to launch the campaign was the referral of a 10-year-old boy whose dentist wanted to know if orthodontics could help close the gap that would be left when his four front teeth were to be extracted due to dental decay. He told me he drank at least three cans of coke a day and took a can to bed with him at night. He needed a denture to replace his extracted teeth.”
Knowing that leaflets, which have been heavily relied on to share dental health information in the past, were of no interest of the youth of today, she embarked on a two pronged attack to get the information out and embarked on a social media campaign as well as roadshows in schools spanning the length and breadth of the area.
Since then, the campaign has partnered up with Stoke City Football club, gained celebrity endorsement from the likes of Peter Crouch, Colin Jackson and Jonny Wilkes, amongst others and gained traction all across the UK. The initiative has also won multiple awards and accolades. But that has not caused the team to slow their momentum or to bask in their successes at all. They decided to push on with more initiatives and roadshows.
This is where they reached out to 17 local businesses, including Blakemans, for help by sponsoring the purchase of 6460 water bottles for the children of local schools between them. Of course, the Blakeman family were keen to help and got involved without hesitation by purchasing nearly 400 bottles for the cause.
The water bottles will become a crucial part of demonstrations during upcoming roadshows and will serve as prizes to help to further engage their audiences.
Phil Blakeman, Managing Director at Blakemans said:
“It’s an honour to be able to help out with the #keepstokesmiling initiative and ultimately the health & wellbeing of the young people of our local area. What Dr Juggins and her team have managed to achieve in such a short amount of time is simply remarkable”
For more information on the initiative please visit one of the following;
Website: https://www.uhnmcharity.org.uk/sign-up-to-keep-stoke-smiling/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/keepstokesmiling/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/keepstokesmiling/?hl=en
