Award
winning American actress Gillian Anderson has launched a national school’s
competition to raise money for Children with Tumours.
Gillian,
the star of critically-acclaimed drama series The X-Files, will judge the
charity’s annual Christmas Card Challenge which is open to all primary schools.
Children
with Tumours (CWT) is the UK’s first “no frills” charity which launched last
year to help raise funds to provide holiday camps for children affected by the
condition Neurofibromatosis and to contribute towards vital research.
More
than 25,000 people in the UK are affected by NF and every day a baby is born
with the condition. NF is more prevalent than Duchenne muscular dystrophy,
cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s Disease combined, but as yet there is no cure.
Gillian’s
younger brother Aaron suffered from the rare condition and died from a brain
tumour when he was aged only 30.
She
said: ‘I’m honoured that CWT have asked me to judge the competition. I think it
is such a good idea and I’m sure everyone who enters will have great fun
designing their cards.”
The
Christmas Card Challenge is open to children of primary school age and there
will be six winners. Schools are encouraged to hold an internal competition to
choose an individual, overall winner or two winners depending on age (8 and
under, 9-11) and then submit them to the national competition.
As
a prize, the winning individual will receive six packs of cards of their own
design. Packs of all six winning designs will be available in the Autumn on the
charity’s website www.childrenwithtumours.org
Schools
are encouraged to choose their own theme but suggestions include: The Colour of
Christmas, the Joy of Christmas, Christmas decorations and Through a Window.
The finished cards will be printed in a 15cm x 15cm size so a square design is
essential. Designs can be drawn, painted or computer graphically produced.
To
register visit http://www.childrenwithtumours.org/Pages/ChristmasCardChallenge.aspx or for further enquiries
email takepart@childrenwithtumours.org.The closing date for
entries is 31st May.
Chris
de Winter of CWT said: “We are delighted that Gillian is judging this year’s
Christmas Card Challenge. All the money raised from the sale of the cards will
be used to provide care and support to families with children with Neurofibromatosis.
“Building
confidence and giving hope are our two key statements in making a difference to
the lives of children with tumours. We aim to build confidence through social
networking in the UK and overseas and giving hope to our children and families
by funding the science that will make a difference to the lives of those
affected.”
About
Children with Tumours
The
Children With Tumours charity has been set up by Chris de Winter, previously
one of the principal driving forces behind the successful Genesis Breast Cancer
Prevention Appeal, and her brother Kevin Powell, an accountant with extensive
experience working with charities and within the financial services sector.
Professor
Gareth Evans, a consultant in medical genetics at St Mary’s Hospital and
Christie Hospital in Manchester, is the Chair of the new charity.
The
trustees believe CWT is the first virtual charity in the UK. There is no office
to fund and instead the charity functions entirely through its website – www.childrenwithtumours.org – Facebook, Twitter and
other social networking sites, ensuring that most of all money raised goes
directly towards camps and research.
Neurofibromatosis,
which has two main types – NF1 and NF2, affects the skin and nervous system
including the brain. Soft, non-cancerous tumours develop on the skin and along
the nerve tissue throughout the body. A tell-tale sign of the condition is
often the presence of cafe-au-lait spots on the body.
In
addition to raising funds to pay for children and their carers to attend
respite camps and to carry out research into NF, the organisation has created
an online community giving people in the UK and abroad the chance to share
experiences and fundraising ideas.
CWT
has also won the support of Kirsty Ashton, one of the UK’s highest profile NF
sufferers who recently received an MBE for raising almost £100,000 for charity.
In
addition to its work around NF1 and NF2, the charity also raises awareness of
Schwannomatosis, a rare form of Neurofibromatosis.
Anyone
wanting to find out more about Children With Tumours should visit the website –
www.childrenwithtumours.org
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