Kidscan Tin Collector celebrates £450K small change milestone during decade at Charity
7th April 2017
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During his decade working at children’s cancer research charity Kidscan, dedicated charity tin collector Ian Johnson has travelled far and wide across the country collecting a staggering £450,000 in small change.
Come rain or shine, Ian has travelled to newsagents, cafes, takeaways, pubs and bars everywhere from Wolverhampton to Kendal, and Rhyl to Doncaster collecting Kidscan’s purple tins, mostly by public transport. Both Ian and the public’s unwavering commitment to Kidscan has raised nearly half a million pounds for the charity, a weight of 2ps equal to that of 90 black cabs!
Money raised by these collection tins all goes towards Kidscan’s pioneering research into discovering new, targeted treatments for childhood cancers – treatments that are gentler for children’s bodies, reducing short and lifelong side effects of those currently available, including mobility and learning difficulties.
Ian Johnson of Kidscan, commented: “People may not think that our purple tins on counters across the country make much of a difference, but they’re a core part of our fundraising. These humble tins are helping to fund vital research into new treatments that will help children with cancer to survive and thrive as this staggering total shows.”
Cancer is the leading cause of death in children in the UK with around 1,600 children being diagnosed each year. Unfortunately 1 in 5 of these will not survive. Every day six families receive the terrible news of a childhood cancer diagnosis. Kidscan are striving to change these figures through ground breaking research, giving every child with cancer their best chance at life.
The key to Kidscan’s success in recruiting and retaining 1,100 charity tin hosts is down to Ian’s commitment to visiting every host at least three times a year, keeping them informed about Kidscan’s work and sending certificates of thanks for them and their customers.
Any business interested in hosting a Kidscan purple tin should contact Ian on 0161 295 3864.
About Kidscan
- Kidscan was founded on 2 December 2002 by Professor Alan McGown who had identified that there was no research institute that specifically supported children’s cancer
- Upon taking his chair at the University of Salford, Prof. McGown launched the charity in order to support research
- Work carried out by Kidscan covers a range of activities from applied laboratory research focused on discovering new targeted treatments for children’s cancer and improving the outcome of existing therapies currently in use, through to research into the psychological effects of children’s cancer
- Kidscan receives no statutory funding and relies solely on the support of businesses, trusts, public donations and fundraising events
- Dr. David Pye was appointed Scientific Director in April 2014
Childhood Cancer
- The risk of developing cancer in childhood is approximately 1 in 500, accounting for some 1,600 new cases per year in the UK
- Many children who survive are left with lifelong side-effects of the currently available treatments, including mobility and learning difficulties
- Incidence of childhood cancers has increased by over one third in the past 40 years, however, the impact of this has been reduced by better diagnosis and treatment, resulting in an overall decrease in deaths by over 50% in the same period
