Christmas Message from the NTUK Head Office Team

Dear Friends and Supporters,

I hope you are all keeping well, and looking forward to the Christmas festivities.

It has been another busy year for the charity, one in which we were sad to say goodbye to some members of the team, our nurse covering the North West, Samantha Gaden, moved onto a new post, and Sarah Harris from the head office retired. But in return, we have welcomed Gillian Jones into that post at Alder Hey Hospital, Lynne Highy joined the Helpline team, and James Yelland joined the head office team.

I hope during the course of the next year that we will add further to our wonderful team of regional nurses and advisors. As I have always stressed, the core function of the charity remains the funding of the network of regional nurses.

We have also introduced three new ambassadors this year, and I am immensely grateful to Georgia, Emily and Amit for not only taking on these roles, but for the enthusiasm and effort they have put into working with us on projects to raise awareness, and the issues faced by the community. We have also welcomed new members to the Medical Advisory Board, such an important body for helping to steer and advise on clinical matters.

May continues to be the key month. We participated in the worldwide Shine A Light on NF campaign, and I am delighted to say the UK lit up 176 buildings, approximately half of the total number of buildings lighting up around the world, which is certainly a reflection of our rich history. We again ran a national awareness campaign across rail hubs, accompanied by an online advertising campaign, and I am told we reached some 2.3 million people.

For the first time, this year has felt like the pre-Covid years, as we have been out and about at medical conferences and meeting our supporters at various venues. A huge thank you goes out to all of our fundraisers and donors, who have helped to fund our services over the past year.

I would also like to thank the teams from St. Mary’s in Manchester, Guys and St. Thomas’ in London and the Specialist NF2 Service. We hugely appreciate their continued collaboration and support for the charity.

But most importantly, please remember that we are here to help you. No question is ever too small or irrelevant, so please do not hesitate in asking for help or advice.

On behalf of the Trustees, the Specialist Nurses & Advisors, and the head office team here at Nerve Tumours UK, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a “Very Peaceful and Happy Christmas!”

With my very best wishes,

Karen