Residents across North Yorkshire urged to give up clothes to help children with cancer

September marks Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and people across North Yorkshire are being called on to clear out their wardrobes to help more children and young people survive cancer.

They are being urged to donate pre-loved quality fashion and homeware to TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes for Good campaign, in support of Cancer Research UK for Children & Young People.

When sold in Cancer Research UK shops, each bag of items donated could be worth up to £25 to help support research into children's and young people's cancers.

Every year, around 150 children are diagnosed with the disease in Yorkshire and the Humber.

But the charity’s breakthroughs in research are helping to transform children’s cancer survival in the UK. This has more than doubled since the 1970s when almost 4 in 10 children diagnosed survived for at least ten years. Today, it's around 8 in 10 - but there’s still much further to go.

That’s why, in Leeds, St James’s University Hospital is one of many centres across the UK taking part in groundbreaking clinical trials coordinated by Cancer Research UK’s Children's Cancer Trials Team. These trials make innovative new treatments available to children with cancer across the region.

Cancer Research UK spokesperson for North Yorkshire, Lisa Millett, said: “Cancer in children and young people is different to cancer in adults – from the types of cancer to the impact of treatment and the long-term side effects survivors often experience. So, it needs different, dedicated research which campaigns like Give Up Clothes for Good help to fund.

“Thanks to our generous supporters, we’re discovering new ways to treat cancer, so children and young people can live longer, better lives, free from the fear of the disease. By donating any quality clothes or goods to their local TK Maxx store, we can all help ensure more people under the age of 25 in the region - and across the UK - survive cancer with a good quality of life.”

TK Maxx is the biggest corporate supporter of Cancer Research UK’s research into children’s and young people’s cancers. Since 2004, the retailer has raised over £44 million to help improve survival and reduce long-term side effects for youngsters. This includes supporting the Cancer Research UK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence, which brings together expert researchers from across the globe to accelerate the development of better treatments for children with brain tumours.

Give Up Clothes for Good is one of the UK’s longest running clothes collections and people can donate at any TK Maxx store, all year round.

Supporters can also help by wearing a gold ribbon badge – the awareness symbol of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month – available from Cancer Research UK shops during September.

Find out more or donate online at cruk.org/childrenandyoungpeople