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Double your donations!

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 million for participating charities.

Donations to our Christmas Challenge will be matched for 7 days from 12pm on 29th November, to 12pm on 6th December. One donation, twice the impact.

We’ll be raising money to kickstart more vital children’s cancer research projects during 2023. Childhood cancer is still the biggest killer of children under 14 in the western world, yet it attracts a fraction of the attention and funds given to adult cancer. Children are not small adults. They need dedicated research and tailored treatments and drugs. Help us do more for children with cancer through research.

What happens during the Christmas Challenge?

If you would like to support our work this year, we highly recommend doing so during the Christmas Challenge, when your donation will be doubled and make even more of a difference to us.

What do you need to do?

Simply add a calendar reminder to your diary for 12pm on 29th November, including this link – https://donate.thebiggive.org.uk/campaign/a056900002OXM0UAAX . All you need is your card details ready to make your online donation.

Please note the donate button will appear on the campaign page when the Christmas Challenge launches at 12pm on the 29th of November.

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact us at helen.griffin@childrenscancerresearchfund.co.uk.

Finally, please pass on this message to anyone you think might be interested in supporting us and having their donation doubled.

Thank you so much for your attention and participation. And just as a reminder, read Jessica’s Story to see why we never give up on our mission to fund more research for children with cancer. …

We end with a huge thank you to our pledges and our champion, The Reed Foundation, without whom we wouldn’t be able to double your donations.

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Friends of Rosie

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Helen Griffin
Communications Manager
07887 932293

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

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© 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.