Edinburgh event celebrates work of Theirworld and Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory

An event to celebrate the work of Theirworld and the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory was held last night in Edinburgh.

Supporters gathered to raise funds and hear about breakthroughs on global education funding and research into premature babies.

Theirworld President Sarah Brown and Trustees Arabella Weir and Dr Ian Laing were joined by a host of well-known figures, including UN education envoy Gordon Brown, author Alexander McCall Smith and Lord Steel.

“260 million children are out of school. Thanks to Theirworld’s campaigning, we are one step closer to the International Finance Facility for Education becoming a reality, unlocking $10 billion for global education,” said actor and writer Arabella.

Sarah thanked supporters and paid tribute to the “amazing group of people” at Edinburgh University who helped to create the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory.

The laboratory’s director, Professor James Boardman, spoke about the groundbreaking work being done – including with the Theirworld Edinburgh Birth Cohort, which studies babies and their families over many years.

He said survival rates for premature babies are now much higher. But that leads to other challenges, such as cerebral palsy, learning problems, autism and even psychiatric difficulties as adults.

“Through this cohort, we will be able to discover new ways of protecting the brain and promoting healthy brain development across the whole life course,” said Boardman.

The event was hosted at Valvona and Crolla.