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Friends of

Tag: childrens cancer

Bright and brilliant school fundraiser

school fundraiser

We’d like to say a heartfelt thank you to St Giles C of E Primary School in South Mimms, who filled their classrooms with colour last week by hosting a brilliant ‘wear something bright’ fundraiser. Pupils and staff embraced the theme with enthusiasm, raising an impressive £203.32 to support vital children’s cancer research. Every pound will […]

£70,000 awarded to pioneer new treatment approach for aggressive childhood cancer

To mark International Clinical Trials Day (20 May), we are proud to announce our latest research grant award – pioneering research that could lay the foundations for a completely new way of treating high‑risk neuroblastoma, one of the most aggressive childhood cancers. This £70,000 research grant, supported by two other charities, Joseph’s Smile and The […]

Welcome to Nancy – our newest Young Ambassador

Nancy Dykes

We’re so proud to welcome Nancy as our newest Young Ambassador. Nancy was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma when she was just two years old. Her treatment took her and her family to Germany for Proton Beam Therapy (PBT) – not once, but twice, after she relapsed less than a year later. Thanks to treatment, Nancy, who […]

Huge thanks to ZEAL Creative for supporting children’s cancer research

ZEAL Creative

We are delighted to share our heartfelt thanks to ZEAL Creative, who have generously donated £5,000 to help drive forward vital research into childhood cancer. Their support comes at a pivotal moment for our charity, as we prepare to announce our newest research project this March – developing more effective and less damaging treatments for […]

Thank you to the Rolls Royce Social Committee

Rolls Royce

As we step into a new year, we want to shine a well‑deserved spotlight on a group of people who’ve made a real difference over the past year. In 2025, the Rolls Royce 9001 Social Committee became part of our story by choosing the Children’s Cancer Research Fund as their charity. Their Easter and Christmas […]

Leave a legacy of hope this September

leave a legacy

Remember a Charity Week This week marks Remember a Charity Week (8–14 September), a national campaign celebrating the incredible impact of gifts left to charities in Wills. It’s a moment to reflect on the causes close to our hearts and to consider how we can make a lasting difference beyond our lifetime. September is also […]

Cycling challenge at sea

cycling challenge at sea

Sometimes our amazing fundraisers come from some unique places, none so much as the international crew of a 60m luxury motor yacht in the Med! Last month, we were contacted by the crew of the Lusine who wanted to do something to help children with cancer. And so they set themselves a one-month cycling challenge […]

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, […]

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, […]

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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.