Charity Commission Registration Number 1085969

Our Statement of Intent!

Our watchword is 'The Darker Side of the Sun'

If everybody who knows somebody who's suffered from melanoma, were to donate £1 every year to Myfanwy's Charity, we'd get £60 million every year!

That's how widespread this disease has become: almost everybody in Britain knows somebody who's suffered from (and very often, died from) melanoma. The bad news: it's getting worse! Melanoma is potentially one of the world's major killers.

Currently, 1 in 50 people in Britain will suffer from melanoma in their lifetime: and, unless the disease is diagnosed early, a high proportion will die. The incidence of melanoma rose by 164% in the 19 years to 1998. This puts the problem into perspective. The incidence is doubling every ten years.

We intend to do three things:

a) arouse awareness
b) make diagnosis more available (set up Walk In Clinics)
c) find a cure (support/sponsor research)

We need to increase awareness of malignant melanoma and invite support for Myfanwy's Charity and it's objectives: so we need

a) the involvement of everybody touched by melanoma, working towards one common goal
b) mega media publicity
c) support/sponsorship from business (and ideally with at least one world 'big hitter' company)
d) support from personalities in the show business, sport, and leisure fields
e) emphasise the dangers of malignant melanoma with an annual Melanoma AwarenessWeek in summer

We've donated £23,000 to set up a melanoma laboratory at RAFT within Mount Vernon Hospital (Northwood), and donated a further £15,000 to purchase a Solar Simulator essential for their work: and on May 11th 2007 we donated £20,000 to Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, to fund the initial appointment of a specialist skin cancer nurse within their expanding MASCU (Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit). She will also have an educational role.

My walk from end to end of the north island of New Zealand (800 miles, 68 days) pushing a wheebarrow (you'll find all the details if you click on to New Zealand in the column on the left) raised $24,000: this was the catalyst for the formation of the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand, now the major melanoma charity there. We also donated $6,000 to fund melanoma research at the Malaghan Institute in Welllington.

We donated (May 18th 2008) an initial £2,000 to help fund a marvellous DVD, designed for schools, and produced thanks to the drive and determination of Peter Kaye in Bodmin. His daughter Becca sadly died from metastatic melanoma in 2007, aged only 35: and Becca's Angels came together to makes sure that she would never be forgotten by her friends and family. I hope that you'll visit their website www.melanomaproject.co.uk

Becca was a primary school teacher at Lewannick in Cornwall: previously she had been co-director of the Small Scale Theatre Company. Her friend Donna has directed a series of films, collected on the single DVD, which is being distributed initially through Cornwall but hopefully to a far wider nationwide audience. The DVD has three sections: Play Safe, in which the children of Lewannick School share their memories of 'Miss Kaye'  and show how they take care of themselves. This is designed for children and parents. Then comes Skin Sense, designed for young adults and sunworshippers: and then Doctors, where the medical background is provided, and which is useful for all professionals.

We're happy to keep funding this DVD: Raising Awareness is one of our major objectives, and this DVD fulfils this fantastically. 

I am in the middle of Twelve Months to Raise a Million, culminating in my trek from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon on September 10th and 11th: we have already raised in excess of £60,000 to fund research at the Royal Marsden and Cancer Research. Details of this research, and this Challenge, are on the website: there's a resume below, but for more detail just click on to Million Pound Target in the column on the left

This trek is truly international: because the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand, and the Malaghan Institute in Wellington, as well as the Melanoma International Foundation in the USA, are also raising money from sponsors in their own countries from this trek to fund research within their own countries. 

THE BIG ONE; TWELVE MONTHS TO RAISE A MILLION

We've launched THE BIG ONE: Twelve Months to Raise a Million. 'Million' refers to the number of individual sponsors, and to pounds sterling. We need everybody to download a sponsor form, fill it up, and return it to us: and if you want leaflets etc., just e-mail me harry@melanoma-fund.co.uk Spread the word: MELANOMA KILLS, WORK TO FIND A CURE AND RAISE AWARENESS

We invite all our friends over the years to work away in Myfanwy's memory: for instance, the more than 1,000 players (and their parents) who built Felbridge Juniors Rugby Club from a small village in Sussex to become ranked amongst the top youth rugby clubs in the world entirely by their own efforts, the more than 1,000 runners who took part over 16 years in the 80 miles South Downs Way Run that we organised, the hundreds of friends over 40 years in East Grinstead Operatic Society, the hundreds of guys with whom I played and coached at East Grinstead, Crawley and Wingspan Rugby Clubs, the thousands who read my columns in Rugby World and Garden News, the thousands who knew Myfanwy and myself at the major gardening Shows where we worked for Garden News, and further thousands with whom I worked and spoke at Kew Gardens for more than 20 years. Lots more friends in East Grinstead, as well. And if YOU are reading this, it means YOU: it doesn't take much time to download a sponsor form, grab 30 sponsors, and send it back to the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund, 6 Manor Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1LR

So many thousands knew us both: so many knew Myfanwy's wonderful smile: so many knew of her death from malignant melanoma, and the threat posed by this terrible disease. Please download a sponsor form (and tell me about it), and get your friends to do similarly: contact people who you know, knew us, and get them on side. We've only got nine months to get a million sponsors: doesn't matter how much, 10p to £10 (or more!), because a million sponsors will really raise the roof for fundraising and awareness of this killer disease

Generate publicity in the media: this is our big chance to grab publicity and focus on malignant melanoma, one of the Diseases of the 21st Century. Do you know anybody in the media? Tell them about it: put them in touch. Not tomorrow; NOW!

Click on to Million Pound Target in the left hand margin, read my diary.

The 'Challenge' culminates in my trek from rim to rim of the Grand Canyon on September 10th and 11th: and we need to be carrying your wishes with us. We're producing a special commemorative card also, which we will post from the bottom of the Grand Canyon

We're working to find a cure, raise awareness and build on the success of the free Walk-In Clinic originally established by RAFT (www.raft.ac.uk) within Mount Vernon Hospital at Northwood: and we will support practical research.  It's all in Million Pound Target

The support of Leeds United is a major catalyst in publicising the work and objectives of the Charity. We have many well known Supporters, including Paula Radcliffe, Martin Johnson, Alan Titchmarsh and Bill Roach (Ken Barlow of Coronation Street)

What we and our supporters (have a look at Donations on our website) have done so far:

1) We donated £23,000 to set up the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Laboratory within RAFT
2) We've purchased a £15,000 Solar Simulator, also at RAFT, to help research
3) We've been the catalyst for the establishment of the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand (where the incidence of melanoma is twice as bad as Britain)

May 11th 2007 was a significant day, when we forged close links with the world famous Queen Victoria Hospital (QVH) in East Grinstead with an initial donation of £20,000. Famed as the home of plastic surgery due to the association with Sir Archibald McIndoe and his 'Guinea Pig Club', the QVH has continued it's reputation for excellence in clinical care. As a Foundation Trust and 3-star hospital, it provides specialist Plastic and Reconstructive services to the South East of England and beyond. Myfanwy's Charity is proud to support new initiatives at the QVH where the new Melanoma and Skin Cancer Unit has been set up (MASCU). This skin cancer unit, headed by Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Mr Paul Banwell FRCS (Plast), provides first-class skin cancer services and education for over 4 million people in the south east. We are delighted to be actively involved in providing funding for a new skin cancer specialist nurse with an initial donation of £20,000: and we will be happy to provide further support as needs arise. This exciting project will allow pagtients access to one-stop pigmented lesion clinics, education programmes and involvement in clinical research aimed at improving melanoma skin cancer care. Harry Townsend comments 'Early diagnosis and raising awareness is so essential to combat this terrible disease, and it's a dream come true that this Unit (which will serve the entire south east) will be at our local hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead where Myfanwy (who trained at St Thomas' Hospital in London) nursed after we got married. She was so well known in musical and sports circles in this area, and we know that her many friends will lend their support in establishing this unique unit. We hope that similar Units will be set up nation wide. We're so pleased that Paul Banwell, a world renowned melanoma specialist, has proposed this initiative'.

Harry published his book 'THE SLOWEST PILGRIM' in December 2006, the story of his fundraising walk along the Pilgrim Trail across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela (38 days, 500 miles): an entertaining read and introducing the many amazing people that he met (like Popeye the Unsuccessful Juggler) and their equally amazing stories. It is available from Harry Townsend, 6 Manor Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1LR (01342 322508) for £5.99 plus £1.00 postage and packing: all profits go to the Charity. Cheques should be made out to the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund.

We need YOUR help: please come on board!

Harry Townsend

Myfanwy's favourite flower was the sweet pea: this became the emblem of our Charity.

International seed form Thompson and Morgan from Ipswich are wonderful supporters, with tremendous help from Stephen Gittins and Stuart Sherwood, and produced a sweet pea named Myfanwy Townsend, a wonderful long stemmed vibrant red flower, and packets of the seed are available from Harry Townsend, 6 Manor Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 1LR for £1.50 including p. and p. (cheques to Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Research Fund) or for £1 per packet from Kew Gardens, Wisley, and many outlets local to East Grinstead.

We've now also marketing (again, thanks to Thompson and Morgan) a sunflower Solar Eclipse, under our watchword The Darker Side of the Sun. It grows up to 5ft tall and it's a unique colour: a large flower with a dark purple centre with petals shading through dark red to yellow at the tips. Children will love it: and once again, it's £1 per packet or £1.50 including p and p. Good news is that, even if not sown until mid June, it will still flower by late summer!

Many events have been organised by friends and supporters to raise money, from Concerts to Triathlon and Trail races to Indoor Bowls Tournaments. Many donations have also been received. Read about all these by clicking on to Donations on the left

As a result, we were able to donate £23,000 to establish The Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Laboratory within RAFT (http://www.raft.ac.uk/ ), a medical research charity dedicated to reconstructive surgery and to research into malignant melanoma, at Mount Vernon Hospital at Northwood near Watford

Our first major Challenge was in November 2000 when Harry Townsend, youngest son Cameron and brother in law Peter Clarke climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania

The next was the crossing of the Grand Canyon, the fabled Rim to Rim, in September 2002. Click on to Grand Canyon on the left of the screen to read our report.

The next Challenge was for Harry Townsend to walk the Pilgrim Trail across Spain in the summer of 2003, almost 500 miles from St Jean Pied de Port on the French south west corner of the Pyrenees, across the Pyrenees and along tracks, trails and minor roads through Pamplona, Burgos and Leon to the Cathedral of St James at Santiago de Compostela. This took place in July and August 2003. Click on to Spanish Pilgrim Trail on the left of the screen to read about this. Harry's book about this, 'The Slowest Pilgrim', was published in December 2006 (see above)

Harry then walked from end to end of the north island of New Zealand, pushing a wheelbarrow (to raise 'a wheelbarrow full of money') between February and May 2004 (800 miles in 68 days). Read all about it by clicking on to 'New Zealand' on the left, and read his diary and what happened as a result.

'Rowing' a marathon on a rowing machine (42,195 metres) at the gym followed before Christmas 2004.

Support from a great many individuals and organisations (click on to 'Donations' on the left for details), enabled the Charity to purchase a Solar Simulator for £15,000 in January 2005, essential to research taking place within the Myfanwy Townsend Melanoma Laboratory: whilst the enormous support and publicity within New Zealand, where the walk raised more than $25,000 as well as more than £6,000 in Britain, was the catalyst for the formation of the Melanoma Foundation of New Zealand, PO Box 31030, Milford, New Zealand, now a national Charity there.
This will be based at the North Shore Hospital in Auckland

Thanks to Alan Sutton at Leeds, the Leeds United players, Yorkshire County Cricket Club players including England skipper Michael Vaughan, and stars of top 'soap' Emmerdale (Lorraine Chase, Jarvis, Shadrach and Zak Dingle, Paddy and Eric Pollard) agreed to be photographed wearing Myfanwy's Charity ribbon badges to signify their support of Melanoma Awareness.
Many other personalities from the media, horticulture and sport including Alan Titchmarsh, Paula Radcliffe and rugby icon Martin Johnson also lend their support. Click on to Supporters on the left

National Melanoma Awareness Week takes place in June each year. This will be June 14th to 21st in 2008

My (Harry) next fundraiser is Twelve Months to Raise a Million. 'Million' refers both to the number of sponsors and to pounds sterling. It's also one of my 7 7 70: Seven Challenges in Seven Continents after the age of Seventy. I completed the first of these, the 100kms of the Sahara race, in March 2007: but Twelve Months to Raise a Million is the BIG one. See details under Million Pound Target.

This Challenge will be my trek rim to rim of the Grand Canyon on September 10th and 11th 2008: and I'm applying for my sponsor target to be accepted as a Guinness Book of Records attempt. The target, as far as we know, is 10,001. My New Zealand walk stalled at 7,600 sponsors: but hey! that's 7,600 people who now know about the dangers of melanoma.

We will be funding practical research projects shared between the Royal Marsden Hospital, England's top cancer hospital, Cancer Research UK, and the Institute of Cancer Research. Details are on our website under Million Pound Target and a Just Giving page has been set up.

I'm also keeping my Diary for this year constantly updated under Million Pound Target: I hope that this will be a fascinating record of how we set about achieving our target, and we hope (need!) to get immense media exposure to fund research into a disease which has become one of the Diseases of the 21st century.

We need your help as ever if we are to find a cure for this terrible disease that has become one of the 'diseases of the 21st century'.