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Author: Helen Griffin

Thanks to High Peak Comps

childrens cancer research

We’re delighted to once again be hosting a very special children’s Christmas party this year for the oncology ward of The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. The event requires the generous help and support of a whole hosts of volunteers and corporate supporters. From grotto donations and raffle prizes to catering and craft stalls.  Today, our […]

Blood-tests for neuroblastoma clinical trials to guide next-generation cancer treatments.

Neuroblastoma research

In 2021, we were delighted to collaborate with Neuroblastoma UK on a research grant of £469,093, awarded to an international team of leading clinician-scientists to explore how blood tests (biomarker testing) could be used in clinical trials to improve outcomes for children with neuroblastoma. Professor Louis Chesler’s research grant was co-funded by Neuroblastoma UK (£454,093) […]

2025 Research Grant Call now open!

Research Grant Call

We are delighted to open a research grant call for 2025. Thanks to the support of our fantastic donors and supporters, we are now able to open a new research grant call, inviting researchers to apply for funding to help make their transformative and innovative ideas in cancer paediatrics a reality. For this grant call, […]

Active Altrincham this September

Active Altrincham

📣 Calling all businesses and community groups across Altrincham! 📣 This September, we’re turning up the energy across Altrincham in support of Active Altrincham month and Altrincham BID. To help raise much-needed funds for children’s cancer research, we’re asking Altrincham-based businesses to host an active-themed fundraising event during September. Whether it’s a steps competition, a […]

Volunteers Week

Volunteers Week

We’re proud to be taking part in Volunteers’ Week 2025 – marking 41 years of saying thank you to all volunteers across the UK for everything they do for society. Our charity has been volunteer-led since we started in 1991. From our Trustees to our Scientific Advisory Board, all of them volunteer their time, skills and […]

£2k raised running the Riga Half Marathon

Running for research

A massive congratulations and thank you to Matt Freeman, who ran the Riga Half Marathon last weekend for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, raising a whopping £2k! Matt ran in memory of his niece, Abigail. Like our namesake, Rosie, Abigail lost her life because of neuroblastoma – a rare type of childhood cancer that develops […]

Thank you Rolls Royce Social Committee

Rolls Royce

A huge THANK YOU to the Rolls Royce Social Committee for their recent donation to our charity.  For small charities like ours, company and community support is invaluable. It allows us to reach more people, expand our impact, and continue the work that truly changes children’s lives. Your kindness and generosity makes a real difference, and we’re […]

Easter raffles raise thousands

Easter Eggs

A huge thank you to all our Easter egg raffle holders this year. Together, they  raised over £2,000 for vital children’s cancer research projects. Thanks to Slattery Chocolatiers in Bury, our volunteer Easter bunnies, Philip and Julia, delivered giant Easter eggs and Easter hampers up and down Greater Manchester.  On the run up to Easter, […]

Exploring the impact of Proton Beam Therapy on paediatric cancers

proton beam therapy

At the start of January, Dr Amy Chadwick and Dr Emma Biglin began the second year of a research project funded by the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (aka Friends of Rosie) to explore the potential of proton beam therapy in treating paediatric cancers. Over the first year of this study, they made significant strides in […]

Welcome to Prof John Hickman

Prof John Hickman

Joining as a Scientific Trustee We are delighted to welcome Professor John Hickman to our Board of Trustees. John joins us as our Scientific Trustee, bringing with him a wealth of experience with which to guide our charity.  John was the ICI Professor of Molecular Pharmacology at the University of Manchester. After a postdoctoral fellowship […]

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Nancy Dykes

Nancy Dykes

Nancy, 11, was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just 2 years old. She was treated with Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) in Germany but unfortunately relapsed less than a year later. The family were then sent to Germany for a second round of PBT. Although treatment helped to cure Nancy’s cancer, she has been left with lots of lasting effects which will require ongoing treatment throughout her life. Here Nancy and her mum, Antonia, share their story in the hope it will help others, raise awareness, and raise more money for children’s cancer research.

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Prof John Hickman

Prof John Hickman

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF
 
I am a relative of the Larkin family and knew Rosie Larkin ( Friends of Rosie, now CCRF) when she had and then died of neuroblastoma, aged six. At that time, I was a scientist and professor at Manchester University, actively working on the problem of why some cancers do not die despite intensive and toxic therapies.  Seeing Rosie during her unsuccessful therapy and then attending her funeral, besides being emotional, drove me to double down on my own research as well as to support the Charity as best I could as a cancer researcher. I spent over a decade as the Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of the CCRF, when the Board moulded policies to ensure that funds raised for research into childhood cancers were distributed only to clinicians and researchers who had the brightest ideas that could impact of cancer medicine for children.
 
My role on the Board
 
As a Trustee,  I hope that my many decades of experience in cancer research and medicine can help the CCRF determine where best the funds that are raised can be invested in cutting edge research and medicine. I am also keen that the CCRF brings together UK and international experts in science and cancer medicine to brainstorm on how best to advance the treatment of childhood cancers.
 
My Background
 
I was a Professor of Pharmacology at Manchester University, working on drug resistance in cancer. I then moved to Paris, where I still live, to head cancer drug discovery at a French pharmaceutical company (Servier). I then headed an EU consortium for six years that brought together researchers from the pharmaceutical industry, universities and biotechnology companies, from all over Europe and the UK, to improve cancer drug discovery. I continue to be active in cancer health policy, publishing in the medical literature.
Katrina

Katrina London

Why I am a Trustee of CCRF

I have spent my professional career representing individuals and families affected by the devastating asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma, which has no cure and for which there are only a limited number of palliative treatments available on the NHS.

I joined CCRF because I wanted to bring my understanding of the need to raise awareness of less well known cancers and passion for the need to secure improved funding for research to children facing a cancer diagnosis.

My role on the Board

I am responsible for oversight of our collaboration agreements with other charities to co-fund research into cures and treatments for childhood cancers. I also manage our challenge events and help with community fundraising. 

My Background

I am a Senior Associate at Irwin Mitchell LLP and specialise in Asbestos Disease Litigation, acting on behalf of victims of asbestos related diseases and their families.  Over the years, I have undertaken a number of fundraising challenges to raise money for cancer research, including a 1000 mile cycle ride from Glasgow to Southampton.   

Carla

Carla Nuttall

Why I’m a Trustee of CCRF
 
I became a trustee of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund because I believe every child deserves the chance to grow up healthy and with everything to look forward to in life. Like many people, I’ve seen the impact cancer can have on families and I wanted to do something that could make a real difference. This started through my work as an ambassador for Cyclists Fighting Cancer, which supported young people and their families in finding strength, confidence, and joy through movement.
 
That experience shaped my understanding of the challenges families face and the importance of community-led support – but crucially, the clear need for that to go hand-in-hand with targeted research and long-term solutions.
 
This is why I’m so passionate about the work CCRF does and proud to contribute to a cause that gives children and their families, the greatest chance of living a life without limits.
 
My Role on the Board
 
I support CCRF’s mission by bringing my experience in brand, marketing, and communications to the board. My focus is on helping CCRF tell its story in a way that resonates with people – whether that’s families, researchers, donors, or the wider public. I work alongside an incredible team to strengthen CCRF’s voice, build trust, and grow awareness so that more children and families can benefit from the breakthroughs we’re helping to fund.
 
My Background
 
I’m the Executive Director of Corporate Affairs and Marketing for The Growth Company, a social enterprise dedicated to helping people, businesses, and places to thrive through its market-leading insight, employment, skills and business support.
My passion is to help the organisations I work with to communicate with clarity, purpose, and integrity. That’s why I’ve spent my career in strategic communications supporting organisations that want to make a positive difference – CCRF could not fit my sense of purpose any better.