A craft market is being held at the Clarence Hall, Crickhowell, on April, 2 from 10am to 4pm with all proceeds going towards research into a potential cure for Crohn’s Disease.

It is the second time the event has happened, building on the success of the first one last year. Organiser Helen Varney, said “Last year’s event raised over £500 for research into a vaccine which will hopefully cure Crohn’s. It is amazing how word is spreading, not only about the disease, but also about the work at King’s College , London, aiming to find a cure.”

Crohn’s Disease is terribly debilitating chronic disease, causing severe abdominal pain and diarrhoea, fatigue, joint pain and drastic weight loss. People often develop the disease in their teens, or even in childhood which disrupts their growth and education.

There is currently no cure and treatment involves being on strong medication for life. Medication often has severe side effects such as liver damage and cancer, and often does not control symptoms completely. Patients often have to have multiple surgeries to remove diseased sections of intestine. They can struggle to hold down a regular job due to the illness which flares up periodically, with many people enduring regular hospital stays.

The research at King’s College is based on the theory that Crohn’s Disease is caused by a bacteria, Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis or MAP. Professor John Hermon-Taylor has been researching MAP and its relationship to Crohn’s disease for over 30 years and believes it to be the predominant cause of Crohn’s Disease.

The vaccine is a modern therapeutic vaccine: it is designed to treat the disease by stimulating the body’s immune system to produce T cells (a type of white blood cell) which recognise and eradicate MAP.

Helen has so far raised almost £4,000 towards the research, organising not only last year’s Craft Market, but also sponsored walks, raffles and a Race Night. “ I joined an incredibly dedicated group of people, from all over the world, mainly people who have Crohn’s or their families, who are fundraising to try to get this vaccine produced.

"There are more people joining all the time - I think I was number 14, and now we have over 50. We all have our own JustGiving pages - mine is www.justgiving.com/CrohnsFriendsMEN3936 - and all the money goes direct to fund the research - the charity has no overheads. We are determined to get this cure for our loved ones.”

For further information go to www.crohnsmapvaccine.com