SAY GOODNIGHTTO BRAIN TUMOURS

Saving lives through research, information, awareness & policy

thebraintumourcharity.org/saygoodnightfundraising@thebraintumourcharity.org | 01252 749043

A big idea for little fundraisersPlus loads of other ways to get your primary school involved

© The Brain Tumour Charity 2014. Registered Charity no. 1150054 (England and Wales) SC042096 (Scotland)

IT’S TIMEto Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours

Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of people under 40, with one child dying of the disease every three days.

This means that you are very likely to have a pupil who is, or will be, affected by a diagnosis. Help us help them by getting your school involved in fundraising for our pioneering research, support and awareness programmes.

We can’t wait to welcome you to Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours, kindly supported by Aykroyds, the character nightwear suppliers. It’s great fun and easy to organise with our template letter to parents, press release and posters. Turn to page 6 to get started.

Thank you for supporting The Brain Tumour Charity.

Sarah LindsellChief Executive The Brain Tumour Charity

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Do you know a child or family member affected by a brain tumour? Our Support and Information team, including a dedicated Children and Families Worker, is here for you.

0808 800 0004 / support@thebraintumourcharity.org

As the pre-eminent brain tumour charity in the UK, we work at the forefront of research, support and awareness raising.

Every year we invest £2.5m in world-class research. The work we fund is making real breakthroughs, delivering potential new treatments and more effective diagnosis techniques to improve survival rates.

We also provide comprehensive support and information over the phone, online and face-to-face. Our Children and Families Worker organises days out for families affected by a brain tumour and Brainy Bags for every child diagnosed in the UK.

HeadSmart, our awareness campaign, is shortening unacceptable diagnosis times for childhood brain tumours to save lives and reduce long-term disabilities. Read more on page 10.

WHY THE BRAIN TUMOUR CHARITY?

£250 could cover the cost of giving 10 children and their families the immediate support and information they need after diagnosis.

£500 would pay for 2,000 families to receive a HeadSmart symptoms card, ensuring that brain tumours in children are diagnosed as early as possible.

£1,000 could enable a researcher to analyse tumour samples, helping us develop new treatments and more effective diagnosis techniques.

By signing up to Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours your school will be making a real difference. Here’s how the money you raise will help us:

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THE STORIES

Every penny your school raises will go directly to world-class research, support and our HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of childhood brain tumours amongst parents, doctors, nurses and teachers.

IONAWhen Iona was five, she was diagnosed with a craniopharyngioma brain tumour. She went through ten hours of surgery which left her with some brain damage and without the ability to produce important hormones.

Sadly, the tumour grew back a year later and Iona went on to endure a six week course of daily radiotherapy. She lost large patches of hair, had extreme tiredness and suffered radiation burns.

Iona has just started secondary school. She loves reading Roald Dahl and Michael Morpurgo, watching films and playing on her Nintendo DS and Kindle Fire. With her family, Iona is an active fundraiser for The Brain Tumour Charity and in June 2013 played her part in a rowing marathon.

Every six months Iona has a scan to monitor her brain tumour, which started growing again in 2011.

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Together, we can help children just like Iona and Harry.

HARRY Harry’s mum Penny knew something wasn’t right for three years before he was eventually diagnosed with a type of brain tumour called a juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma (grade 1) at the age of seven. Since Harry was five years old, Penny had been a regular visitor to the GP with him, reporting symptoms of extreme tiredness and wobbly handwriting. The GP explained that some children were just tired all the time.

After two years Harry was finally referred to a paediatrician. After an initial misdiagnosis, Harry’s tumour was diagnosed and he underwent surgery. Some months later the tumour regrew and Harry had a long course of chemotherapy.

Harry is now 17 and getting on with his life. He has to have a scan once a year but his tumour has shown no signs of growth for over five years. As a result of the chemotherapy, Harry is deaf in his left ear which Penny feels could have been avoided if Harry’s diagnosis had been made earlier by linking his symptoms and referring him for a scan.

“The Brain Tumour Charity helped me and my family through my tumour and I am very grateful to them for helping me survive.”

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SAY GOODNIGHT TO BRAIN TUMOURSWe’re so excited to tell you about our big new fundraiser that we hope to spread to as many schools around the country as possible.

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Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours is a really simple way to raise money for The Brain Tumour Charity. Just ask your pupils to donate £1 or £2 to wear their pyjamas for the day. It’s much more fun than a mufti day and teachers can get involved too by dressing up as a character from a fairy tale, wearing a novelty onesie or becoming a superhero for a day in Batman pyjamas!

You can make Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours an exciting part of your school day by getting the children to bring in their favourite bedtime story to read aloud to the rest of the class. Or add a bit of variety to lunchtime by holding a big teddy bear’s picnic in the hall or on the playground.

Aykroyds, the character nightwear suppliers, have kindly agreed to supply every school that raises money through Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours with a pair of pyjamas or two to use as a prize on the day. Let us know that you’re taking part (email fundraising@thebraintumourcharity.org or call 01252 749043) and we’ll send your pyjamas straight away!Don’t forget to check out the downloadable

Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours template letter to parents, press release and posters on our website: thebraintumourcharity.org/saygoodnight

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Want to try something else too?If you’re planning fundraising events throughout the year, we’ve got loads of ideas to get you started!

Need more inspiration? Try these ideas:

• Talent show • Treasure hunt • Christmas carolling • Baked bean bath • Fashion show • Sponsored walk • Car wash • Bonfire night party • Science quiz • Bring and buy sale • Music concert

Bandanas for Brain Tumours DayOn the first Friday of March every year, offices, gyms, schools and pubs all over the country take part in Bandanas for Brain Tumours Day. Everyone pays £1 to wear a bandana for the day, in any way they want, to raise funds and spread the word about brain tumours as far as possible. Find out how to get your school involved and buy our exclusive bandana at thebraintumourcharity.org/bandanas.

Cakes at home-timeEveryone loves a tasty treat or two, so encourage your pupils and their parents to get baking and hold an afternoon cake sale for fellow pupils, staff and parents. You could raise more funds by holding a ‘best brew’ contest or a cake decorating competition.

Sponsored silenceTalk to your pupils about staying silent for a morning, a day or just playtime in exchange for sponsorship from family and friends.

Get activeTurn your annual sports day into a fundraising event, ask pupils to get sponsored to walk to school for a week, or sell refreshments for children and parents at a school football match.

Halloween discoEveryone will love a Halloween disco themed with spooky decorations, costumes and snacks. Charge for entry and refreshments.

If you’re already holding an event, we can supply collection tins and buckets for donations on the day.

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BECOME A CHAMPION SCHOOLHelp us spread the word about brain tumours

As a Champion, you’ll help other schools in your area Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours. We’d like you to explain a little about our work and our HeadSmart campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours in children.

Don’t worry – we’ll be here every step of the way. We can provide you with all the information you need, a variety of branded promotional materials and a dedicated contact at The Charity.

“We’re really excited to get involved in Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours! It’s a great way to

support such a worthy cause and we will be encouraging our pupils to

read their favourite bedtime stories to each other, so they are practising

their reading whilst doing their bit for those affected by brain tumours.”

Mr Lawrence, primary school teacher from Bromley

“It was funny! And so embarrassing seeing the teachers come to school

in their onesies! We raised loads of money too to help other kids.”

Isaac, age 11

“We loved coming in wearing our PJs to raise

money to help people with a brain tumour. It was really, really fun! Our headteacher

brought in a huge teddy, bigger than my sister.”

Lucy, age 9

“OMG. Such a cool fundraiser, the best

we’ve ever done! Do it!”

Ellie, age 16

We can also visit you in your school to give special assemblies, help you get coverage in your local press and tell everyone about the good work you’re doing through our website, newsletters and social media profiles.

Being a Champion School is fun and your students will love leading the way! If you want to get involved, email fundraising@thebraintumourcharity.org or call 01252 749043 and we’ll be in touch.

“The best day ever!”

Fliss, age 6

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THINGS FOR YOUR TO-DO LISTTake a moment to read what you can do to make your Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours event safe and successful.

Get permissionIt is important to ensure that parents and guardians are aware of what you’re planning to do and why. You can download a template letter to parents explaining Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours and the work of The Brain Tumour Charity: thebraintumourcharity.org/saygoodnight

Keep it safeChildren must be supervised at all times and make sure food or drink for your teddy bear’s picnic, for example, is prepared in a hygienic place. Don’t forget to label any items containing nuts in a cake sale.

Ask your pupils to wear their trainers to school and change into their slippers when they get to the classroom.

Whatever you’re organising, The Charity cannot accept any liability so please check if you need additional insurance.

Gift AidIf you’re asking your pupils to collect sponsorship as part of any fundraising event, get them to make sure their sponsors Gift Aid their donations. This way we can claim an extra 25p on every £1. It’s easy:

Download and print sponsorship forms from thebraintumourcharity.org/fundraisingforms

• Sponsors need to be UK taxpayers and write their name, home address, postcode and donation amount on the sponsorship form. They must tick the Gift Aid box too.

• All the sponsorship money must be returned to us with the completed sponsorship forms (turn to page 11 to find out how).

Spread the wordTake the opportunity to tell everyone about your fundraising for The Brain Tumour Charity. Write about Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours in your school’s newsletter for parents and use the template press release on our website to contact your local newspapers. If you need any additional advice about spreading the word, email comms@thebraintumourcharity.org

Branded materialsWhy not make Say Goodnight to Brain Tumours a real occasion at your school? We’ve got loads of branded materials available for you to borrow or purchase including collection buckets and tins, balloons, bunting and stickers. Get in touch with the team at fundraising@thebraintumourcharity.org or 01252 749043.

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HEADSMARTReducing diagnosis times

Every year in the UK brain tumours are the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths, killing around 125 children. Yet sadly diagnosis times of childhood brain tumours are longer in the UK than in many other countries.

Our HeadSmart campaign aims to raise awareness of the symptoms of brain tumours to bring down diagnosis times, reducing long-term disability and saving lives.

By educating parents, guardians, doctors and nurses since its launch two years ago, HeadSmart has already reduced the average diagnosis time for a childhood brain tumour from 9.1 to 6.9 weeks. Now we need your help to achieve our aim of bringing diagnosis times across the country down to less than 5 weeks, to be on a par with the best in the world.

It’s easy to spread the word about brain tumour symptoms around your school. Give one of our handy symptoms cards to every pupil or their parents, display our posters in classrooms, tell everyone on your mailing list how to get the HeadSmart mobile symptoms guide (see the box on the right) or prepare a short assembly.

Know the symptoms on-the-go

Text SMART to 81400 for your free mobile

symptoms guide.

headsmart.org.uk

To order HeadSmart symptoms cards and posters or find out more about the campaign, email info@headsmart.org.uk.

Get in touch today – you could help save a child’s life.

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GETTING YOUR MONEY TO USOnce you’ve finished your fundraising, please make sure you send your money to us as soon as possible

Questions? Contact us: 01252 749043 / donations@thebraintumourcharity.org

Please encourage eligible sponsors to make Gift Aid declarations (using their home address). We can then claim an extra 25p for every £1 donated.

Made payable to: The Brain Tumour Charity Hartshead House, 61-65 Victoria Road, Farnborough, Hampshire GU14 7PA

Send a cheque to our office:

Credit or debit cardVisit thebraintumourcharity.org/payingin or call 01252 749043

You can also pay by...

Lloyds Bank Sort code 30-93-74 Account 50290568 Please put your school name as a reference and email donations@thebraintumourcharity.org to let us know.

Or pay directly into our bank account...

Once we have received your money,

we will send you a thank you letter and a certificate to display

at your school.

If your school is near our offices, why not

pop in with the money you’ve raised? We’d love to meet

you! Find out where we are: thebraintumourcharity.org/

about-us

Find us here too

Registered office:Hartshead House61-65 Victoria RoadFarnboroughHampshireGU14 7PA

© The Brain Tumour Charity Registered Charity no. 1150054 (England and Wales) SC042096 (Scotland)

thebraintumourcharity.org

01252 749043fundraising@thebraintumourcharity.org

Saving lives through research, information, awareness & policy