Association Picks TEENAGE CANCER TRUST for Festival 2006

The Radyr & Morganstown Association has nominated the Teenage Cancer Trust for Wales as the sponsored charity for the May Festival in 2006. TCT(W) is a charity that has been formed specifically to raised funds for a dedicated cancer ward for teenagers in the University Hospital of Wales.

The new ward will be TCT’s flagship unit as, at University Hospital, the unit will be placed between the Children’s Hospital (funded by the Noah’s Ark Appeal, which the Association sponsored in 2004) and the Adult Oncology Dept. TCT does not have a unit in England that can boast this. The unit will, however, cost £2.2M, of which £900K is still to be found.

The Association is proud to be associated with this endeavour. Each day in the UK, six teenagers will find out they have cancer – that is over 2,200 new diagnoses each year. Where there is no TCT unit, teenagers have to be treated in a children’s ward alongside toddlers and babies, or with adults and often elderly people. However, teenagers have unique problems with respect to cancer. In many cases, the cancer is not picked up early enough and symptoms are dismissed as growing pains or sports injuries. Because teenagers are undergoing growth spurts, their cancers grow faster than other age groups and they can be at greater risk. There are also important issues such as age of consent and the impact on fertility. These issues are often not addressed on a children’s ward or on a ward with the elderly. There is a desperate need for them to be treated in a specialist unit such as provided by TCT, and where oncologists say that they have up to 15% greater chance of recovery.

We are already working with TCT(W) to plan a great Festival for 2006. We will release details as they are agreed. You may, however, like to put in your diary a fantastic Gala Concert in aid of TCT(W) at the Wales Millennium Centre on Sunday, 9th October. Details have been put in the Radyr on-line diary, and tickets are available on line via www.wmc.org.uk.

If you would like to read more about the work of the Teenage Cancer Trust, please visit their main website on www.teenagecancertrust.org. If you want any more information, or would like to help in any way, please contact the Association’s Secretary, on Association@Radyr.org.uk.

As part of our policy to plan ahead as much as we can, you may also like to know that the Charity for 2007 will be the NSPCC.