Scheme To Recognise Courage Of Children With Cancer Launched In South East

An award scheme recognising the courage of children and young people who have faced cancer has been launched in the South East.

Around 240 children in the region are diagnosed with the disease every year.*

Nominations for the Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People Star Awards, in partnership with TK Maxx, are now open and families are being called on to nominate young cancer patients and survivors for the honour in the run up to Christmas.

The Star Awards are open to all children under 18 who live in the UK and have been treated for the disease within the past five years.**

There is no judging panel, 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 celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, TV personality Dr Ranj and children’s TV favourite Mister Maker. Siblings are also awarded a certificate.

Calling for more nominations across the South East, children’s TV presenter, Phil Gallagher from Mister Maker (pictured) 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.” 

Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults, from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment. That’s why Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People is supporting dedicated research to help ensure more young people survive cancer with a good quality of life.

Great Ormond Street Hospital in London 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 London/across the region.                        

Thanks to some of the charity’s breakthroughs, children’s cancer survival in the UK has more than doubled since the 1970s when almost 4 in 10 children diagnosed survived for at least 10 years. Today it’s around 8 in 10, but , they say, there’s still much further to go.***

The Star Awards help to raise awareness of some of the unique challenges faced by young people with cancer that the charity’s scientists are working to tackle.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for the South East, Lynn Daly, said:

“We’re discovering new ways to treat the disease, so all children and young people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of cancer.

“A cancer diagnosis is heart-breaking at any age, but it can be particularly devastating for youngsters - especially when many may experience serious long-term side effects from their treatment.

“Not only do our Star Awards help to put these inspirational individuals in the spotlight where they belong, they pay tribute to the supportive siblings who deserve to be celebrated too. That’s why we’re urging people to get nominating now, so we can give these courageous young people the recognition they so richly deserve.”

The Star Awards are run in partnership with TK Maxx, the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s work into children’s and young people’s cancers. Since 2004, the retailer has raised over £44 million for vital research to improve survival.

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* Average annual number of new cancer cases of all cancers combined excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD10 C00-C97, excl. C44) diagnosed in children and young people aged 0-14 years in the South East in 2015-17. This data was extracted from the Public Health England’s Cancer Analysis System, snapshot CAS1902. Accessed 16/03/2022. This work is only possible because of data from the cancer registry, which is routinely collected by the NHS as part of patient care. 

** For full eligibility criteria, visit: cruk.org/starawards

*** 1971-75: National Cancer Intelligence Network. National Registry of Childhood Tumours Progress Report, 2012. 10-year actuarial survival for children (aged 0-14) in Great Britain diagnosed with cancer (all cancers combined). 2007-11: Public Health England. Children, teenagers and young adults UK cancer statistics report 2021. Population-based 10-year survival for children (aged 0-14) in the UK diagnosed with cancer (all cancers combined).