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Northern children’s cancer charity receives £50,000 boost

A local charity established to fund research into the treatment of childhood cancers has received a welcome boost to its coffers, thanks to a couple of large donations.

The North of England Children’s Cancer Research Fund (NECCR) has been given two cheques totalling £50,000; one for £10,000 from Gateshead-based medical supply company, VH Bio, and the other £40,000 from an anonymous private donor.

The money has been used to fund a number of new pieces of equipment at the world-leading Northern Institute for Cancer Research (NICR) at Newcastle University, with which the charity has close links.

This latest donation has enabled the charity to purchase new, high-performance computers which will allow researchers to more efficiently analyse the significant amount of data the NICR has collated in recent years. It will also replace other outdated equipment to ensure the centre remains at the cutting edge of cancer research in the UK.

The new technology will immediately benefit research into medulloblastoma - a highly malignant form of brain tumour which is most commonly seen in children and young people.

NECCR Chairman, Chris Peacock, said: “We are delighted to receive these donations and would like to thank VH Bio and all of our valued sponsors who do so much to raise funds for the charity throughout the year.

“These generous donations ensure that we are able to continue to fund the life-saving research conducted here in the North East, and will ultimately help save the lives of children and young people in years to come.”

VH Bio’s recently retired Managing Director, Andrew Hewitt, said: “As a Northern business, we’re thrilled to be able to support the NECCR with this donation. The charity is such a worthy cause which does some fantastic work to benefit the lives of children and families in our region and beyond.”

The private donor has been a supporter of the NECCR since his grandson was diagnosed with a Wilms tumour (a type of kidney cancer which typically affects children under the age of five) when he was aged just three.

The donor added: “I have seen first-hand the impact that cancer can have on a child and the rest of the family and wanted to make a positive difference by donating to research.”

The NECCR was formed in 1979 by a group of parents whose lives had been forever changed by childhood cancer. Over the past 35 years, the charity has raised over £30 million and has helped to establish the North East as world-leaders in childhood cancer research.

While research has over the past 30 years dramatically reduced the number of deaths from childhood cancer, it is still the biggest killer of children in the UK after road traffic accidents. Each year around 120 children and young people are newly diagnosed with cancer in the North East.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emily Slimings .