andyworthington

Hi guys, Don't know if we have any golfers out there who would be interested in a cracking fundraising golf day? I've posted before about Factor 50, a fundraising and patient support group I run for the malignant melanoma research team at The Christie in Manchester. I'm an Oldham Athletic fan for my sins, we lost a young player Ernie Cooksey, who also played locally for Rochdale, to melanoma in 2008 aged just 28. I'm obviously aware you lost Sir Bobby to the condition. We run an annual fundraising golf day in Ernies memory at Manchester golf club, it's one of the North Wests top courses used for European tour qualifying and a fantastic test for any golfer. This years competition is Friday 29th June, it's a stableford and entry is £200 per team of 4. This gets you 18 holes of golf on a superb course and a feed back at the clubhouse, prizes and trophies for winning teams, nearest pin and longest drive. if you've got tickets for the Stone Roses that night, Heaton Park is only a couple of miles away, make a day of it, i'll even give you an early tee off time. Entry enquiries to me andyworthington.factor50@googlemail.com full details via our website http://www.factor50.org.uk/sponsorship_events?event=86 Since we started Factor 50 we've made great strides. As well as raising funds for the research team we've been able to work behind the scenes to try and improve the outcomes for melanoma patients. We've become part of the parliamentary melanoma task force, regularly attending meetings at Westminster and become melanoma stakeholders with Nice who review and approve new treatments for the NHS. We've also been contacted by many melanoma patients allowing us to help make their voices heard in the right places. We should find out next week whether a consultation process with NICE we have been involved with since last September has been successful in making a new drug, Ipilimumab, which is potentially the biggest step forward in treatment of the condition in 40 years, available to all who need it on the NHS. Thanks for taking the time to read this, we'd love to see you Andy

For any Toon fans in the Manchester area who may be interested.... Rochdale FC's Football in the Community team are running a 5 a side competition to fundraise for Factor 50 and the Malignant Melanoma research team at The Christie cancer centre in Manchester. It's at The Soccer Factory, Royle Barn Rd, Rochdale on Sunday December 4th 2011 from 2 - 6pm. Trophies and medals for the winners and runners up. Entry is £40 per squad of up to 8 players and you can book your place by ringing Keith Hicks at Dale FC on 07958 593121 or Graeme direct at The Soccer Factory on 01706 659111. It's held annually in memory of Ernie Cooksey who played for both Dale and Oldham Athletic, Ernie succumbed to melanoma in 2008 aged 28.

Cheers trophyshy, really appreciate that, we need to shout this from the rooftops. We started Factor 50 in 2007 because of personal circumstance ( my niece is a sufferer who luckily was caught early, Gill who I run it with lost a 30 year old friend ) when we realised how little funding melanoma research got compared with other cancers, you're right it is a truly vile disease. Not going to stop banging on the door until people take notice, thanks again.

Hi Guys, Hoping you maybe able to be of some help. I co run a malignant melanoma fundraising and patient support group Factor 50 www.factor50.org.uk . As you will be aware this is the illness that took Sir Bobby. There is a new drug Ipilimumab, also known as Yervoy, which has recently been licensed for patients with advanced melanoma. In trials people who were told they were terminal are still alive 4+ years later and counting. NICE, the NHS body that reviews and approves new treatments thinks, at around £70,000, it's too expensive and have provisionally declined to approve it for NHS use. This decision is now under review, after a concerted campaign a group of MP's have tabled an Early Day Motion to get this debated in parliament www.parliament.gov.uk/edm/2010-12/2362 we are trying to get people who's MP's are not signed up to contact them asking them to do it. If you don't know how to contact your MP here are the details www.findyourmp.parliament.uk . Ipilimumab is the biggest step forward in treatment of melanoma in 40 years, it needs to be freely available to every patient. Any help any of you can be in pushing this would be greatly appreciated and if anyone can repost this on other Toon forums i'd be eternally grateful. if anyone needs any further info or I can be of any help andyworthington.factor50@googlemail.com Cheers Andy