Drawings by children who have undergone cancer treatment are featuring in a charity awareness campaign encouraging parents to recognise the early signs and symptoms of childhood cancer.
The artwork by youngsters who have received treatment, along with those from families impacted by childhood cancer, is being used in cinema adverts and digital advertising for You Know Them Best, a campaign launched by the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust, a charity dedicated to driving improvements in early detection and treatment.
With only three out of 10 parents feeling able to spot the signs and symptoms[1], the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust has launched You Know Them Best to explain what to look for, encouraging parents to trust their instincts and see their child’s GP if they are concerned.
Kicking off on December 22, You Know Them Best will raise awareness through cinema and radio advertisements, as well as outdoor and digital advertising, including an ad on Channel 4.
In total 32 children took part in a “Doodle Day”, organised by agency OWB Creative. The children were encouraged to move between creative tasks, trying out new ideas and creating artwork that felt completely their own, guided by Gloucestershire-based professional artist Adele Riley.
Among those to take part were brothers Joshua and Jack Asbury, whose drawings feature in the You Know Them Best campaign artwork. Mum Heather said: “The boys loved taking part in Doodle Day. The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust has been part of our lives for a number of years since Joshua was diagnosed with cancer so it was wonderful to see the boys’ drawings come to life in such an important campaign.”
Dad Andy added: “Raising awareness of the signs and symptoms is so vital and we are all so proud to be involved.”
Also taking part were brothers Monty, Huxley and Remy Troughton. Monty’s drawing of a Nintendo Switch games console was incorporated into the campaign. Monty said: “My favourite bit of the day was when the kind teacher said never to give up when I was making my story book.” Huxley said: “I liked playing on the racing cars game the most and a few of the older children played with me.” Remy added: “I liked making the wobbly man from pieces of paper.”
The Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust launched You Know Them Best to raise awareness among families across the West Midlands, Gloucestershire, Worcestershire and Herefordshire. To date the Trust has supported more than 500 families in these regions.
Parents are being encouraged to visit an information page on the signs and symptoms, available on the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust website: www.gkcct.org/youknowthembest
Founded in 2016 in memory of four-year-old Grace Elizabeth Kelly, who passed away in 2014, the Trust aims to make a difference to children facing childhood cancer whilst fulfilling Grace’s wish of helping others.
Chief Executive Officer Dr Jen Kelly, Grace’s mum, said parents could help children receive timely diagnoses by being aware of the signs and symptoms of childhood cancer. These include the child becoming unusually pale to the point it is noticed by others, tiredness, pain that does not go away or keeps coming back, the appearance of a lump or swelling, unusual bruising or bleeding with no injury, changes in their vision or a new squint.
Jen said: “We are so proud of the children and young people involved in You Know Them Best, and how they have contributed in such a creative and thoughtful ways. The families we support are at the heart of everything we do, and it was wonderful to see their creativity helping to bring this campaign to life. We hope it will encourage families to learn the early signs and symptoms of childhood cancer.”
Tommy Moore, Senior Creative Director at OWB Creative, said the “Doodle Day” had been a memorable experience for the professionals. Tommy said: “Thank you so much to all the children who took part as their amazing ideas and sketches have been incorporated into the creative process, with many of their drawings making it into the awareness film, posters and advertising.
“It was a great experience for our whole team to be part of such a messy, crafty fun session. The youngsters did not hold back with their amazing designs and creative ideas. They should all be proud of their contribution to the final campaign, which will engage audiences who will see the ads in the cinema,
The signs and symptoms information page is available on the Grace Kelly Childhood Cancer Trust website: https://www.gkcct.org/youknowthembest/