Issuu

news Issue 43

A note from Nigel... Welcome to the Winter 2023 edition of Hope Against Cancer news. This year has been a notable one for us as we have been marking our 20th anniversary.

What a long way we’ve come since we were founded in 2003 by Allison Wilson CBE

It has been a year of reflection and consideration of the journey our Charity has been on since it was founded in 2003 by Allison Wilson CBE. In this newsletter you will read about our progress from local fundraising group to established local charity and major partner in the Leicester Cancer Research Centre, and you will discover our plans for the future. In all of this it is an understanding of our history, and the history of cancer research in Leicestershire and Rutland that will help us to plan for our next steps. What we have learnt enables us to contextualise the vital input of our partners and stakeholders, and set out the next stage of growth for the charity. While we dream of a world without cancer, we will continue to work relentlessly to support cutting edge research and treatment that has a lifechanging impact on our local communities in Leicestershire and Rutland, and beyond. For our Charity to continue discovering, delivering and sharing Hope Against Cancer over the next 20 years, we need your support. Along with this newsletter you will find a cut-off slip and return envelope for donations. Please consider donating if you are able.

Nigel Rose ! u o Y Thank CEO, Hope Against Cancer

In this Issue

Christmas fundraising appeal This Christmas we are appealing to everyone fortunate enough to be able to donate to help us to continue to support LOCAL cancer research. Your donation will directly improve the outcomes of cancer patients throughout Leicestershire and Rutland, now and into the future. Please find the details in our appeal letter enclosed

This newsletter is kindly supported by:

www.hopeagainstcancer.org.uk

Your LOCAL Cancer Research Charity WINTER 2023 p2

2003 2013

The Story so Far

At the end of our first ten years, we had raised £3 million in funding which went towards the opening of the Hope Clinical Trials Unit in 2012 and the awarding of 32 multiyear PhD fellowships.

These two highlights have helped sustain the continuity of world-class local research, contributing to investigations and treatments which have changed the lives of patients and their families. Innovations supported by Hope include techniques and technologies to developed translational research expertise in lung cancer, mesotheliomas and B-Cell malignancies. Throughout this period Hope Against Cancer evolved from a fundraising group to become a key local partner in cancer research.

2013 2023

Over the following ten years we raised £5 million.

This included a special campaign in 2020 which raised £1.5 million to expand the busy Clinical Trials Unit into the new Hope Cancer Trials Centre, which is now set up and running in the Osborne Building at Leicester Royal Infirmary. Our ongoing commitment to the centre includes project funding, equipment and two nurses who add to the care and support that patients receive. Keith, the husband of one of the trials centre patients, speaking at one of our Hope through Business Club lunches put it this way: “The Hope centre is somewhere which does exactly what it says on the tin. It gives you Hope... and it is very important, not just for the research, but how they make you feel, you never go in there thinking that it's not going to work.” It is estimated that the opportunities afforded by the centre have allowed the researchers there to leverage external funding from national institutions totalling £20 million, which, again, furthers the depth and strength of research and treatment here in Leicestershire and Rutland. The Hope Trustee board is keen to set out further growth for the period ahead where we build on our accomplishments and help achieve better health outcomes across all of our local communities. Leicester is internationally recognised and the strength of our partnerships rivals those of major cancer research hubs in much larger cities. Richard Mitchell, chief executive of Leicester’s Hospitals said “it has taken years of hard work and dedication to put clinical research in Leicester on the map. Hope Against Cancer has always been a key local partner in helping us achieve our goals.”

Discovering, Delivering, Sharing HOPE Against Cancer…

Delivering and Sharing Hope

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Delivering Hope at

The Hope Cancer Trials Centre

The Hope Cancer Trials Centre, which offers local people the opportunity to take part in clinical trials, is one of only a few such facilities outside London. The centre has an international reputation for recruiting patients to studies and are often selected by new trials as a preferred site for conducting their research. Cancer treatments are rapidly changing and the Hope Cancer Trials Centre is at the forefront of testing the most cutting-edge treatments in the world. As we heard in the recent Hope Cancer Trials Centre’s Patient and Public engagement forum, held at the University of Leicester, the future of cancer treatment lies in early detection and prevention. Researchers are exploring the development of blood tests that search for the early markers of cancer, and the use of therapeutic prevention methods to reduce the likelihood of developing the disease.

Sharing Hope by

Inspiring New Generations

As we have seen, as Hope is now a major local partner in cancer research, our investments have grown investment not only in terms of money but in terms of the excellent young students who train here in Leicestershire and Rutland. One such student is Emma Telford, a fourth year Medical Student studying at the University of Leicester. Emma recently undertook a placement at Hope Cancer Trials Centre where her work and subsequent research poster won a competition among her peers. Emma told Hope: “My poster focuses on the time I spent at the centre, and particularly concerns what I learnt about clinical research and the experiences of the patients who are currently participating in clinical trials. It was a privilege to see the immense impact that Hope Against Cancer has on patients’ lives. This experience has really inspired me to hopefully get involved in more research in the future and consider cancer research as a future career path.”

The support of the people and businesses of Leicestershire and Rutland, the work of the researchers, nurses and everyone else along the way all really comes down to this (from a message recently received by Hope):

…for the People of Leicestershire, Rutland and beyond - since 2003

Meet Our New Team Members

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From fundraiser to Fundraiser...

From scientific support to scientific support...

Introducing our new Corporate and Community Fundraiser, Tim Gorman-Powell

Introducing our new Communications and Content Officer, John Nellis John joined the Hope team as the Communications and Content Officer in August and is working to create content for Hope that will raise awareness of the charity and the wonderful work that we support. By supporting the Hope team John will be helping local researchers access the resources they need, this is not new to him. Before re-training in Communications, John worked as direct scientific support for the scientists in the Hodgkin Building at the University of Leicester, where he met many of the staff who work with Hope today. He shipped their dangerous goods, ran their archive, set up gas cylinder systems, organised necessary changes to lab space, provided furniture – anything the staff required so they didn’t need to look up from their benches. When the Medical Research Council unit chose to leave Leicester John took his love of writing into a new career, it is one where he still gets to support scientists, albeit in a different form. We plan to reinstitute monthly eshots in the new year, so if you would like to keep up to date on Hope news and events, please contact him at john@hopeagainstcancer.org.uk

Tim joined Hope in July as our new Corporate and Community Fundraiser and he comes with a great deal of fundraising experience, but this experience had been built entirely through tireless personal endeavour. In 2022, Tim graduated from UCFB in Manchester where he studied Sports Business and Coaching. Alongside his studies he set about raising money for Mental Health charities Mind and Samaritans by performing endurance testing sports-based challenges and events. He also shaved his head for MacMillian Cancer Support. At the end of the year Tim decided to take these experiences and become a freelance full-time athlete and fundraiser. One of his first challenges was for a charity based in his home of Leicestershire, Hope Against Cancer. He wanted to support local cancer research and challenge himself in memory of a close friend’s mother… He chose to run four miles, every four hours for 48 hours! In every challenge Tim has dedicated himself to he has smashed his fundraising goal and so when he applied to join Hope he was the perfect choice. If you have an idea for a fundraising event, he is always happy to chat. Contact Tim at tim@hopeagainstcancer.org.uk

We’re Fighting Cancer - Right Here, Right Now!

The Future of the

Hope Cancer Trials Centre

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Support Us Today - www.hopeagainstcancer.org.uk/donate

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Recent Events

Trail of Hope Weekend This summer saw our ‘Trail of Hope’. Events, activities, discounts and offers at 30 local venues. This included self-portraits with the Cosby Yarn Bomb team, Fusion Dance classes at 2Funky, a cricket challenge at Sixes Indoor Cricket, climbing classes at Social Climbing, free taster passes at BFT Gym, a 20-lap walk around the Tigers stadium and much more. It was a lovely event which, in addition to fundraising, raised a huge amount of awareness for Hope

Hope Business Club Autumn Lunch Hope Against Cancer’s Business Club met in October to network and to hear from our guest speakers Alice Greaves and Alice's oncologist Professor Samreen Ahmed. Together they told the story of Alice's journey from both the poignant perspective of a 24-year-old diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer, and from the brilliant consultant who led her care. The generosity, kindness, and support of businesses in Leicestershire and Rutland has made a substantial impact on the research and treatment of cancer locally, and improved the outcomes for families all over our area.

Our First ‘Xtreme Paddle’ On 9th September, 14 local people braved one of the hottest days of the year to paddle seven miles on the River Soar and raise money for Hope… On a day many of us would rather have been sipping something cool on the comfort of a deck chair these amazing people journeyed from the Leicester Outdoor Pursuits Centre to the Waterside Inn at Mountsorrel. It was our first time hosting this event, but it was a wonderful day, and it will not be the last we’ll see of the paddle.

Fireworks Spectacular On 4th November, Leicester Racecourse held its annual fireworks festival. Hope was provided with hospitality space in the boxes and Club room where our guests were able to base themselves for the event. Some amazing Hope volunteers ran a stall selling items and a very popular tombola. Other intrepid volunteers braved the weather and roamed the site with collection tins. It was a fine crescendo to our year as the racecourse’s charity for 2023

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In Memoriam

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Gifts in Wills

Gifts in WIlls are the foundation of many charities across the UK. Without the past lives of some amazing people, we would not be able to do our cutting-edge research for the future lives of others.

Find Out More - www.hopeagainstcancer.org.uk/donate-in-memory

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Upcoming Events

APR Ride Rutland

APR Hope Business Club

MAY The Great Outpaws

JUN Charity Football Game

Bring a rattle, make some noise!

JUN Annual Golf Day

JUL

Challenge the Wild

Cycle around beautiful Rutland Water

Take a wild guess…

Book early, this popular day always sells out!

AUG Cut for Cancer

Save the date, it’s going to be a “Good Great Hair Day” for Hope!

This newsletter is kindly supported by:

Network at our lunch with inspiring speakers

4/5 When you’ve conquered the

abseil, there’s just the water to go

Keep checking the website for details and announcements of new events!