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Friends of

Tag: North West children’s charity

Charity Christmas cards – order now!

Charity Christmas cards

This year, we have once again partnered with Charity Cards  for our charity Christmas cards. Although it’s only just October, thoughts are already turning to Christmas shopping! To make your Christmas planning a little easier and to give to charity at the same time, you can choose from a great selection of cards. With different […]

Donate via AmazonSmile

Amazonsmile

Friends of Rosie is now registered with AmazonSmile. This means that, when you shop with AmazonSmile, you can now donate and help us raise more money for childhood cancer research. Just go to smile.amazon.co.uk and select the Friends of Rosie Children’s Cancer Research Fund as your charity of choice. Then when you shop, Amazon will […]

Sober October for Jo and Lee

Sober October

Huge thanks to Jo Richardson and Lee Wood who have chosen to do a Sober October in support of childhood cancer research. Says Jo, “As everyone knows we very much enjoy a drink or ten, but we’ve decided to do Sober October to raise money for the charity Friends of Rosie. “My brother, Dan, was […]

Parrenthorn High School raise £245

Parrenthorn High School donation

Our thanks go to students at Parrenthorn High School in Prestwich for choosing Friends of Rosie as one of the charities to support during the school’s charity week. The fundraising, which took place just before Christmas, saw the students raise a fantastic £246.80. Says Trustee Jennie Atherton, “The students showed such enthusiasm for fundraising and […]

Trafford Business Club support

Trafford Business Club

A big thank you to Trafford Business Club and its network of supporters for choosing Friends of Rosie as one of the beneficiaries of their winter draw. Your donation of £250 will go on to make a difference to children’s cancer research. Corporate support makes a huge difference to the research projects we fund. Find […]

Victorious Vicky’s run for research

Victoria Cheyne run for research

Vicky Campbell ran the Birmingham Half Marathon for Friends of Rosie in October raising over £500 in her run for research. Says, Vicky, “I feel very proud of myself in doing this run and pleased that I raised money for Friends of Rosie. Even though at the time I found it hard work to motivate […]

£500 for brain tumour research in memory of Jessica Green

Jessica Green

Huge thanks go to Carol Lever for her incredibly generous donation of £500, which was sent in memory of Jessica Green on what would have been her 10th birthday. The money will go towards our current brain tumour research project. Jessica lost her battle with cancer in 2014 after a brave fight against an aggressive […]

Locals do childhood cancer research proud!

Locals support childhood cancer research

Our local supporters never let us down and we’d like to give a special thanks to the lovely Tracey Payton and the kind people of Gatley village for donating £400 to help us fund more vital research into childhood cancer and childhood cancer awareness. The money was raised during Childhood Cancer Awareness month in September […]

Dry 2018 for determined Kendra

Dry 2018 for childhood cancer research

Our thanks and best wishes go to Kendra Haigh who has chosen Friends of Rosie as the charity for her amazing challenge to complete a dry 2018. A year without alcohol is no mean feat! Says Kendra on her fundraising page, “I have read too many stories about those affected by cancer. It shows no […]

Easter egg eggstravaganza!

Easter eggs childhood cancer

Join the Friends of Rosie Easter egg raffle and raffle off a luxury, hand-crafted Easter egg at your workplace, school, nursery or community centre to support local childhood cancer research. The eggs, created by world renowned Manchester chocolatier, Slattery, measure in at around half a metre high of mouthwatering milk chocolate, usually retailing at £50. […]

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Helen Griffin
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07887 932293

Children’s Cancer Research Fund,
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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.