Each year the new Year 12 cohort at Whickham School select a charity to benefit from our annual Charity Week activities. This year, students voted to support the Solving Kids Cancer UK Charity – striving for better outcomes for children and families affected by childhood cancer. Solving Kids’ Cancer UK has a particular focus and expertise in the rare and complex cancer, neuroblastoma.

In particular any funds raised this year will go directly toward lifesaving treatment for Whickham youngster Annabel Ashmore who is a happy, smiling 5-year-old who wants to be a nurse when she grows up. Her family just wants her to be able to grow up.

In April 2023, aged 4, she was diagnosed with Stage 4 high-risk neuroblastoma and given 40-50% chance of long-term survival at diagnosis. She has bravely completed 15 months of treatment with the NHS, but, for children with high-risk neuroblastoma, like Annabel, the survival rate is much lower than many other childhood cancers. Upon relapse, survival is greatly reduced. The FDA has approved DFMO in the US, a drug that aims to prevent relapse, and the approval process is underway in the UK but will not be possible soon enough for Annabel, as she must enrol on the DFMO study shortly after her last treatment ends. As her only option to access the drug is to travel back and forth to America, her mum and dad – Mike and Libby – need to raise £105,000.