MAY I express my sincere thanks and gratitude to all those in the Blackburn area who contributed to a recent house to house collection between January 28 and February 8 for the National Kidney Research Fund.

The total sum raised was £1,478.99 and will be used for research into renal disease, kidney patient care and welfare, including the provision of renal equipment, promotion of the organ donor card and raising the public's awareness of the extent of kidney related disease.

You will be interested to learn that one in five people are affected by kidney problems and 22 children each day are born with kidney-related ailments.

MAUREEN HARBOUR, National Kidney Research Fund, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.