Download Support Group Awards PR- Gold Award

MEDIA ALERT – ‘PROJECT 15 – SUPPORT GROUP’ WINS CHARITY GRANT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – THURSDAY, 5TH FEBRUARY 2015
INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE:
 FOUNDER OF THE MOUTH CANCER FOUNDATION – DR VINOD JOSHI
 PROJECT 15 – SUPPORT GROUP LEADER – CHRISTINE GOULD
To set up an interview and for more information please call Media Ambitions on 0208 940 2222.
“We are thrilled to award the Project 15 – Support Group a £1,500 grant to celebrate the
incredible work they do.”
Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation, Dr Vinod Joshi
Today, one of the country’s leading mouth cancer charities, the Mouth Cancer Foundation awards
Project 15 – Support Group with a grant of £1,500. The Northampton based support group won the
Gold Prize in the Mouth Cancer Foundation Support Group Awards.
Project 15 – Support Group is a newly launched initiative set up by The Facefax Association, a
Northamptonshire based charity that supports people with head, neck, mouth, face and other types of
cancer. The group will meet at The Dunstone Bennett Complementary Centre to provide valuable
information and emotional support for patients who are affected by head, neck, face or mouth cancer.
Regular meetings will be held once a month to cover a variety of issues enabling patients to ask questions
and express their concerns in an informal environment with other patients and people working closely
with head and neck cancer.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation Support Group Awards are designed to reward the incredible
work that support groups across the country carry out on a daily basis. The Awards recognise the
support group leaders and healthcare professionals, who give up their spare time to support and work
closely with people affected by head and neck cancers.
Support groups have become a place of solitude for mouth cancer sufferers. It is a place where they can
share their experiences, and ask questions in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. It is also a place where
carers, relatives and friends can go for help and advice. The Mouth Cancer Foundation recognizes the
impact that the support groups have and how they can help improve a patient’s quality of life. In order to
show their appreciation, the charity is rewarding organisations with innovative and unique support
services with awards totalling £3,000*.
Christine Gould, the Manager of the Dunstone Bennett Complementary Centre and Project-15 Support
Group leader says "The Dunstone Bennett Complementary Centre are very grateful to be honoured with such a
prestigious award. This generous donation of £1,500 from the Mouth Cancer Foundation will enable the Centre to
extend their services to people in Northamptonshire on a journey through cancer."
The Founder of the Mouth Cancer Foundation Dr Vinod Joshi says “The applications we received were
of a very high standard for this year’s Support Group Awards. To be able to recognise and reward these
organisations and the work that they do, caring and supporting people with head and neck cancer is incredibly
important. The judges were looking for evidence that the support group offers the opportunity to communicate
experiences, improves patient services and tackles the consequences of head and neck cancer treatments. We felt
that Project 15 – Support Group embodied all of these qualities and therefore decided to award them the Gold
Award.”
For more information on the Mouth Cancer Foundation Support Group Awards visit
www.mouthcancerfoundation.org.
-ENDSFor general press enquiries, please contact:
Elizabeth Ayto Laverack or Izabela Nair
Media Ambitions - 020 8940 2222
[email protected]
[email protected]
www.mediaambitions.com
NOTES TO EDITORS
Mouth Cancer Foundation Support Group Awards
*Prize values will be awarded as follows:
Gold Support Award - £1500
Silver Support Award - £1000 sponsored by Irwin Mitchell LLP.
Bronze Support Award - £500
Terms and conditions apply. The judge’s decision is final.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation – www.mouthcancerfoundation.org
The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a registered charity no. 1109298.
The Mouth Cancer Foundation is a charity solely dedicated to supporting people affected by head and
neck cancer. The charity’s online and telephone support service has given head and neck cancer patients
and families the opportunity to articulate the consequences of their cancer journey and communicate
their shared experiences. It is vital that the charity continues to provide free accessible information
resources and ensure Mouth Cancer Foundation support is provided to those that need them.
About Mouth Cancer
 Around 60,000 people in the UK will be diagnosed with mouth cancer over the next decade.
 In the UK, 7,700 people were diagnosed with Mouth Cancer in 2011.
 Tobacco use is still considered the main cause of mouth cancer. According to the World Health
Organisation, up to half of current smokers will die of a tobacco-related illness – including mouth
cancer.
 Drinking to excess can increase the risk of mouth cancer by four times. Those who smoke and
drink are up to 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.
 Mouth cancer is twice more common in men than in women, though an increasing number of
women are being diagnosed with the disease.
 Age is another factor, with people over the age of 40 more likely to be diagnosed, though more
young people are now being affected than previously.
 Poor diet is linked to a third of all cancer cases.
 Experts suggest the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV), transmitted through oral sex, could overtake
tobacco and alcohol as the main risk factor within the coming decade.
 Cancers can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, and adjacent areas like the throat,
salivary glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus, and other sites in the head and neck area.
Symptoms include:
 An ulcer or white or red patch anywhere in the mouth that does not heal within 3 weeks.
 A lump or swelling anywhere in the mouth, jaw or neck that persists for more than 3 weeks.
 A difficulty in swallowing, chewing or moving the jaw or tongue.
 A numbness of the tongue or other area of the mouth.
 A feeling that something is caught in the throat.
 A chronic sore throat or hoarseness that persists more than 6 weeks.
 An unexplained loosening of teeth with no dental cause.
More information about Mouth Cancer is available at the Mouth Cancer Foundation web site
www.mouthcancerfoundation.org or by emailing [email protected].