VTCT Foundation Showcase

On the 12 July, Nerve Tumours UK attended the Grant-holder Showcase at Toynbee Hall in London, hosted by the VTCT Foundation.

The event started with an overview from the Chair of the VTCT Foundation laying out their strategy for the next three years.

The meeting provided an opportunity for charity members and researchers to network. This year’s agenda was focused around three themed strands that resonated with all attendees. The event began with a focus on how projects can be successfully dovetailed to enhance NHS provision, there was then a session on some of the research that is being funded by the Foundation and the day finished with discussion of the importance of campaigns and achieving cut-through to raise awareness of appearance-altering conditions and the charities supporting them. 

This was followed by a series of presentations from other charities, who like ourselves, have been recipients of grants from the Foundation over the last few years, for example, the Katie Piper Foundation and Facial Palsy UK; and we listened to presentations from UK Universities and Research Fellows about their research projects involving youngsters with visible differences.

We also heard presentations about three Centre For Appearance Research (CAR) Studies that are taking place at the moment, two of which we are involved in.

The day ended with a very lively question and answer session from all attending charities and presenters.

It is so important for the charity to attend these networking events, as we can spread the word about the condition, what the charity is able to do for the NF community, and also to learn from how other charities operate, and best practice.