Emeli Sande is helping to support the awards
Emeli Sande and Beverley Knight are just two of the celebrities who are supporting Cancer Research UK’s Little Star Awards.
The Awards celebrate the incredible courage of children who have faced cacner.
Joining them to support the awards is Strictly Come Dancing stars Robin Windsor and Kristina Rihanoff, TV presenter Lisa Riley, as well as England football team mates James Milner, Kyle Walker and Leighton Baines.
Emeli Sande says: “Each child who confronts cancer is a star in their own way and I salute their courage and bravery. The Little Star Awards provide vital recognition for these kids and their families and, in doing so, help raise vital awareness of children’s cancers and the need to continually invest in cutting-edge research.”
Relatives and friends of young cancer patients and survivors from across the UK are being urged to nominate them for a Little Star Award now for special recognition in the run up to Christmas.
Beverley Knight says: “All young people who are diagnosed with cancer seem to demonstrate such bravery and sparkle. I recently met a number of Cancer Research UK’s Little Star Award winners and was truly touched by their courage.
“One aspect of the Little Star Awards that I truly love is the way in which brothers and sisters of recipients receive a special certificate in recognition of the impact that a cancer diagnosis has on the whole family and the support they give their sibling.”
Around 1,600 children are diagnosed with cancer in the UK every year but thanks to research there is hope for the future.
Recent analysis shows that more than eight in 10 children with cancer now survive, compared to just three in 10 in the late 1960s. The number of children surviving cancer for five years or more has risen from 79 per cent to 82 per cent in the last decade.
The increase in survival is largely due to tackling the disease by combining a number of different chemotherapy drugs. Cancer Research UK has played a key role in the clinical trials that proved the benefits of these combined treatments.
TV presenter Lisa Riley says: “To receive a cancer diagnosis at any age is a devastating blow, as I know from the experience of my mother who sadly died of the disease. But to have to face cancer as a child must be unbelievably tough. I am so delighted to be able to add my voice to Cancer Research UK’s and celebrate the courage of these kids who are an inspiration to us all.”
Recipients get a unique trophy, a £50 TK Maxx gift card and a certificate signed by the celebrities involved.
Cancer Research UK’s Little Star Awards are in partnership with TK Maxx.
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