Teenage Cancer Trust and USC announce major fundraising partnership
Howard Lake | 10 November 2008 | News
Steve Jones and Miquita Oliver have given their support to Teenage Cancer Trust to help spread the word – and the love – on a major new national fashion-based fundraising campaign, USC LOVES TCT.
The T4 duo are the first in a line of celebrities to support the ‘USC LOVES TCT’ campaign. The initiative is being brought to the high street by leading fashion retailer USC to help raise funds for brand new hospital units for Teenage Cancer Trust.
The innovative snap-on sweatbands will go on sale for £2.50 in USC’s 57 stores throughout the UK as part of the first phase of fundraising. Every penny of profit raised will go to Teenage Cancer Trust.
Each day in the UK six teenagers find out they have cancer – over 2,000 diagnoses a year. Teenage Cancer Trust builds specialist units in NHS hospitals so that young people don’t have to be treated on children’s wards or with the very elderly. Patients treated on the units say that being around other young people in an environment appropriate to their age makes a huge difference to their recovery.
Miquita Oliver said: “I’m proud to be involved with USC LOVES TCT. Teenage Cancer Trust is an amazing charity that brings teenagers and young adults with cancer together at a tough time in their lives. I can remember only too well how hard being a teenager can be, but to have to deal with a cancer diagnosis too must completely turn your world upside down. By buying one of these wristbands you’ll be helping Teenage Cancer Trust to build brand new specialist units where teenagers can be treated together, improving their experience and helping them to survive.”
Miquita’s co-presenter Steve Jones adds: “I’m sure being diagnosed with cancer as a teenager is a scary and isolating experience. Teenage Cancer Trust understands this and that’s why they build special units in NHS hospitals where teenagers are treated alongside people their own age. They can do everything that normal teens do and most importantly they can support each other and know that they’re not alone. So go on, buy a wristband and show some love.”
A little bit rock’n’roll, a little bit breakdance a little bit ‘off duty tennis pro’ the USC LOVES TCT snap-on towelling wristbands are destined to be this season’s cult must-have accessory. USC is renowned for its forward-thinking approach to fashion and hopes the design will appeal to its style-savvy shoppers. The wristband can be bought either online at www.usc.co.uk or in any USC store in the UK.
Lucy Jackson, Director of Communications at Teenage Cancer Trust, said “We’re really excited to be working with USC and are hugely grateful to have Steve and Miquita on board promoting the snap wristband for us. All funds raised will go towards building desperately needed hospital units for teenage cancer patients. We have lots of activity planned over the next 24 months and we’re already looking forward to rolling-out the next innovative USC LOVES TCT project.”
Jo Bohling, brand director at USC, has been the driving force behind the campaign and plans to roll out activity across all its stores to help raise funds. He said: “We will be pulling out all the stops to raise as much money as possible for Teenage Cancer Trust. Steve and Miquita are ideal ambassadors for the launch and we hope that everyone gets behind this and shows their support by wearing the snap wristbands.
“The work carried out by Teenage Cancer Trust is of enormous importance and every penny we can raise will go some way towards making their goal of providing more teenage cancer units a reality. We’ now that if we all pull together we can make a real difference to the lives of young people affected by cancer.”
Ends
Notes to editor:
For more information, product shots or images of Steve and Miquita sporting their sweatbands, please contact Stephanie Westacott, Teenage Cancer Trust, 020 7612 0714 St*****************@te****************.org
Teenage Cancer Trust
Every day in the UK, six teenagers will face a cancer diagnosis. This is a rising figure and there are already more young people than children with the disease.
Teenage Cancer Trust understands that teenage cancer requires specialist care and knows that young people have a much better chance in their fight against cancer if they are treated by teenage cancer experts, in an environment tailored to their needs. So the charity is working every day to make that happen, building specialist units in NHS hospitals.
Teenage Cancer Trust units aren’t like ordinary cancer wards. Everything about them has been designed to give teenagers the very best chance of a positive outcome. The charity estimates that, with the units they currently have around the UK, four out of 10 teenagers diagnosed with cancer now have access to the dedicated, specialist support they provide. But Teenage Cancer Trust’s aim is to build enough units so that, by 2012, every teenager will be treated on one.
For more information visit
www.teenagecancertrust.org
Teenage Cancer Trust is a registered charity, no. 1062559
USC
The first USC store opened in Edinburgh in 1989. The company has developed rapidly rolling out the USC concept to prime city centre locations throughout Scotland, the Midlands, the South of England and Northern Ireland. In May 2004, USC was acquired by West Coast Capital.
USC is an award-winning company which currently employs over 1,200 staff across the UK.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.