Twitter Linkedin Facebook Instagram
Get in Touch
icom_donate

Donate Today
icon_get_involved

Get Involved
icon_friend

Friends of

Author: Helen Griffin

Easter raffles underway

Easter eggs

Huge thanks to everyone hosting Easter raffles for Friends of Rosie this year and to Slatterys Chocolatiers in Whitefield for providing the delicious Easter eggs and hampers. Let’s hope we raise lots for children’s cancer research this Easter to really make a difference. We’ll keep you posted after Easter to share how much we’ve raised […]

Pioneering research for children with head & neck cancers

facial disfiguration

Over the past 12 months, Friends of Rosie has funded research at The University of Manchester looking at ways to decrease the risk of facial disfiguration in children with cancers in the head and neck. Dr Marianne Aznar and her team have been looking at how we could enable ‘smarter’ radiation treatments, leading to a […]

Could a blood test diagnose Ewing Sarcoma?

blood test

Friends of Rosie has joined forces with another like-minded charity, Megan’s Rose of Hope, to fund research into the use of a revolutionary new blood test to diagnose Ewing Sarcoma, a rare type of bone cancer. In 1 in 4 children or young people with Ewing Sarcoma there is little chance of survival because the […]

Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022 – 1 day to go!

Christmas Challenge 2022

Friends of Rosie has been selected to participate in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022, the UK’s largest match funding campaign. Last year, thanks to generous supporters like you, the campaign raised over £22 million for participating charities. Starting tomorrow, 29th November, we will be raising money to kickstart more vital children’s cancer research projects […]

Jam tomorrow

Jam tomorrow

Our huge thanks to supporters Julia Hyde and Roz Tetlow who recently raised £800 at a recent coffee morning and jamboree. Roz and Julia are renowned in their area for making outstanding jam and marmalade, which they sell each year to raise funds for Friends of Rosie. Thanks to their coffee morning and generous friends, […]

Double your donations!

Big Give Christmas Challenge

Donate during our Big Give Christmas Challenge and your donation will be doubled! We’re very excited to let you know that Friends of Rosie has been selected to participate in the Big Give Christmas Challenge 2022, the UK’s largest match funding campaign. Last year, thanks to generous supporters like you, the campaign raised over £22 […]

Woldingham School raising funds

Woldingham school

We’re delighted that Woldingham School in Surrey is supporting Friends of Rosie over the coming school year. 11-year-old Daisy Larkin, niece of our charity namesake, Rosie, nominated Friends of Rosie as the chosen charity for her house, Digby House. The students seconded Daisy’s nomination and Digby House has already raised a fantastic £400 towards children’s […]

Become a Parent Trustee

parent trustee

Would you like to become a Parent Trustee and make a difference in early-stage children’s cancer research? When 5-year-old Rosie was diagnosed with cancer her parents were told there was no cure. When she died, they asked what they could do to prevent such tragedies. The doctors told her parents the only answer was research. […]

Exchange Chambers charity ball

charity ball

Just one day to go until the Exchange Chambers charity ball in aid of the Friends of Rosie takes place on 3rd November 2022. We’re looking forward to raising lots for children’s cancer research tomorrow night and we’re honoured to be part of this fantastic event in Manchester. Our huge thanks to the wonderful team […]

Green token success thanks to Asda Altrincham

Asda green token

Our huge thanks to the Asda Foundation and customers at the Asda store in Altrincham for voting for Friends of Rosie in their Green Token Giving scheme. Thanks to your votes we’ve received a £300 donation from the Asda Foundation. Our special thanks also go to the Asda Community Champion, Catherine Massey, for all your […]

Donate Today
Friends of Rosie

Useful Links

Legal

Contact Us

Helen Griffin
Communications Manager
07887 932293

Children’s Cancer Research Fund,
c/o Slater Heelis,
86 Deansgate,
Manchester M3 2ER

Twitter Linkedin Facebook Instagram Youtube

© 2025 Children’s Cancer Research Fund | Charity No. 1046278 | Website by ATTAIN.

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.

Watch Story
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.