AN AWARD scheme recognising the courage of children and young people diagnosed with cancer has been launched in Cumbria and is supported by children’s entertainer Mister Maker.
Around 190 children are diagnosed with cancer in the North West every year.
Nominations for the Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Awards, supported by TK Maxx, are now open and families across the North West are being called on to nominate young cancer patients and survivors in the run up to Christmas.
The Star Awards are open to under-18s who have been diagnosed with and treated for cancer in the last five years.
There is no judging panel for the awards, because Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People believes every child diagnosed with cancer deserves special recognition.
Everyone nominated receives a trophy, £50 TK Maxx gift card, t-shirt and a certificate signed by a host of famous faces, including Nanny McPhee and Last Christmas star Dame Emma Thompson and This Morning’s Dr Ranj, as well as children’s favourite entertainer Mister Maker. Their siblings also receive a certificate.
Phil Gallagher, from Mister Maker, said: “The strength these young people show when faced with a cancer diagnosis is remarkable, and that’s why I’m supporting the Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Awards again this year. Their courage and resilience needs to be honoured, and the Star Awards are such a lovely way of doing that and showing them how special they are.”
Anna Taylor, spokesperson for Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People in the North West, said: “Our Star Awards, supported by TK Maxx, shine an important light on children and young people with cancer. We know that a cancer diagnosis is devastating at any age, but that it can be particularly difficult for a child or young person and their families.
“That’s why we’re calling on families across the region to nominate inspirational youngsters for an award, so that we can recognise their incredible courage.”
Thanks to the support of people in Cumbria and across the UK, Cancer Research UK’s research has helped transform survival for children’s cancers, which overall has more than doubled in the last 40 years in the UK.
In the early 1970s, 4 in 10 under 15s diagnosed with cancer survived their disease for at least five years. Today, it’s more than 8 in 10. But there is still more to do to bring forward the day when every child and young person survives their cancer with a good quality of life.
The Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is one of the many centres across the UK taking part in groundbreaking clinical trials coordinated by Cancer Research UK’s Children’s Cancer Trials Team. These trials make innovative new treatments available to children with cancer in Manchester. One of the trials is finding out what the best possible treatment options are for children and young adults with a type of brain tumour called ependymoma.
The Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Awards are supported by TK Maxx, the biggest corporate supporter of the charity’s research into children’s and young people’s cancers. Since the partnership began, the retailer has raised over £34 million for research to help more children and young people survive cancer.
To nominate a child visit cruk.org/childrenandyoungpeople.
