- Area:
- England
- Programme:
- Reaching Communities
- Release date:
- 11 9 2012
“I am now less afraid to discuss the disease with my son and am better able to reassure him about his future” – Jo Grey, CEO, AMEND
A comic book to help families open up about cancer and help children cope is one of five schemes across England to receive Big Lottery Fund grants today.
The five projects share almost £1.3m in Reaching Communities funding – which is aimed at helping those most in need - including Project Superhero!, a scheme to help families communicate about rare cancer disorders.
Other initiatives to secure grants today include support for siblings with caring responsibilities, help for young people leaving care, support for homeless pregnant women and help to get ex-offenders into self-employment to reduce reoffending rates.
The Association for Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders (AMEND) receives £123,000 to run a specialist comic book and produce animations aimed at children and young people to explain the condition and help families develop the confidence to cope and manage the disorder long-term. Based in Tunbridge Wells, the project will help hundreds of families across the country affected by Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders (MEN) - a group of complex inherited disorders which cause the body's endocrine system to develop tumours which in turn causes abnormal levels of hormones to be released creating a range of symptoms.
Jo Grey is an MEN sufferer and mother of two teenage children – one of whom also has the disorder. Jo is also the Chief Executive of AMEND and the Chair of Trustees.
She said: “Families we support have told us that they often don’t know how to broach the subject of the disease with their children and that the first instinct is in fact to protect them and not tell them anything. However, children can sense when you’re hiding something from them and that is when the lines of communication begin to break down. Project Superhero! was inspired by recent research from Birmingham University* which suggested that children coped better with their genetic conditions if families were open and honest in their discussions about the disease.
“I know from when I was told my cancer had spread and that I needed further surgery that it is better to involve and inform them, and that they can actually cope with this knowledge remarkably well. I am now less afraid to discuss the disease with my son and am better able to reassure him about his future. This is what we want to achieve for everyone affected by MEN and these new resources will be a fantastically engaging way of doing it.”
The comic book is being produced in partnership with London-based Medikidz Ltd, a medical education company for children. The cartoons will be produced by Mister Munro, a specialist in medical animations. Both elements will help children to understand how MEN will affect them, or their loved one, thereby reducing confusion and isolation. It will encourage them to ask questions and communicate about their condition and help them recognise the importance of regular testing and screening. The project also aims to establish a youth group so that young people can offer support to one another.
Dharmendra Kanani, Big Lottery Fund’s England Director, said: “Project Superhero is an inspiring initiative to get children and their parents communicating about the incredibly difficult subject of cancer. By using comic book characters and cartoons, the project will make it ‘ok’ to talk, helping to ease the pressure on families who often try to protect children by keeping quiet.
“All of today’s projects focus on empowerment of individuals to have confident, rewarding relationships that matter to their improve lives and opportunity for themselves, their families and the communities in which they live. Reaching communities funding proves again that it does what it says on the tin.”
Another of today’s projects is Rainbow Trust Children's Charity, awarded £305,648 to provide support and guidance for children and young people who have caring responsibilities for siblings with a life threatening or terminal illness. The charity will establish a programme of practical and emotional support.
And Headliners (UK) receives £298,557 to support young people in or leaving care in London and Tyne and Wear to become young leaders in their community and positive role models – and make a successful transition towards training and future employment. Accredited multi-media journalism courses will be run to enable young people to campaign on issues that affect them. The project will also include issue-based workshops on topics such as managing a budget and safer sex education.
Funding of £292,029 will enable LIFE 2009 to help pregnant women from disadvantaged backgrounds to improve their lives and give their babies the best possible start in life. Many of the young women supported by the project find themselves homeless because they are fleeing domestic violence or as a result of a relationship breakdown within the family. The project offers one-to-one and group training in basic life skills including kitchen skills, parenting, healthy lifestyles and budgeting.
And finally Startuponline is awarded £272,000 to support women ex-offenders into self-employment to help reduce re-offending and rebuild fractured family and community relationships. The project will provide information and support on the options for personal development and self-employment on release. There will be opportunities to talk with business advisers and previous successful beneficiaries and to attend workshops.
Further Information
Big Lottery Fund Press Office: 020 7211 1888
Out of hours media contact: 07867 500 572
Full details of the Big Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the website: www.biglotteryfund.org.uk
Ask BIG a question here: https://ask.biglotteryfund.org.uk
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Notes to Editors
- The Big Lottery Fund (BIG), the largest distributor of National Lottery good cause funding, is responsible for giving out 40% of the money raised for good causes by the National Lottery.
- BIG is committed to bringing real improvements to communities and the lives of people most in need and has been rolling out grants to health, education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. Since June 2004 BIG has awarded over £4.4bn.
- The Fund was formally established by Parliament on 1 December 2006.
- Since the National Lottery began in 1994, 28p from every pound spent by the public has gone to good causes. As a result, over £28 billion has now been raised and more than 383,000 grants awarded across arts, sport, heritage, charities, health, education and the environment.
- *University of Birmingham research - ‘Metcalfe A et al, 2011, ‘Parents’ and Children’s Communication about Genetic Risk: Qualitative Study Learning from Families’ Experiences, European Journal of Human Genetics’
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