To start the New Year with a positive step, the AfPP team and Board of Trustees are dusting off their trainers and embarking on a walking challenge to raise money for a charity close to their hearts, Franks’ Fund.

Frank’s Fund was set up in memory of 14-year-old Frank Ashton, who lost his battle against Ewing Sarcoma, a form of bone cancer, in 2019. The fund, started by his family, raises money for The Bone Cancer Research Trust and has donated a massive £389,549 towards Bone Cancer research. Louise, Frank’s Mum, worked as part of the AfPP family as the Marketing Lead.

Ewing Sarcoma most commonly affects children and young adults aged 10-25 years old and makes up about 1.5% of all childhood cancers. Every day in the UK, one more child, teenager or adult is diagnosed with primary bone cancer, but primary bone cancer research remains one of the most underfunded types of cancer research.

Soooo……..January 2024, 27 of us have each committed to walking at least 26.2 miles. 2024 is also AfPP‘s 60th anniversary and we wanted to start the year doing something positive. How can you help?

We have a JustGiving page where you can donate to help us achieve our challenge and raise a little money for Franks’ Fund

Why not take the challenge up yourself - walk and raise funds with us!

Let’s have a fantastic start to 2024!

..............................Finally, in case you needed any further motivation or to truly understand what this initiative is all about, here’s a message from Louise, Frank’s mum:

Thank you so much Team AfPP for taking on this brilliant challenge to raise money for Frank’s Fund. We are so grateful to you all, and we know that Frank would be too.

Frank was an such an amazing boy. We miss him every minute of every day. If his death is to have any meaning at all, it needs to be to help people who are diagnosed in the future by raising funds that can be invested in much needed research.

A child, teenager or adult is diagnosed with primary bone cancer every 10 minutes somewhere in the world, but primary bone cancer received just 0.027% of funding from the major UK cancer charities in 2020/21 – that’s just 2p in every £100. Almost nothing. As a direct result, neither survival rates nor treatment protocols for Ewing’s Sarcoma have improved in more 40 years. Treatment is brutal and gruelling. Some of the drugs Frank was given were being used nearly 50 years ago. There is hardly any chance of survival if the disease returns.

We need to keep fighting this status quo to give other people hope and to keep Frank’s memory alive, and it’s people like you who help us to do this. We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Keep walking! One step at a time and we know you’ll get to your destination! Good luck to you all.

Have a wonderful Christmas and a happy and active 2024!

With our love,

Louise, Mike, Maisy xxxx