Private School News

Marist Preparatory School Support Childhood Cancer Charity

Pupils donate funds from their Easter Egg Raffle to the charity ‘Christopher’s Smile’
Sunninghill, Ascot, Berkshire, 12 May, 2009

Pupils at the Marist Preparatory School have donated a cheque for £226.62 to Mrs Karen Capel who, with her husband Kevin, is a founder of the childhood cancer charity ‘Christopher’s Smile’.
Infant and junior girls participated in an Easter egg raffle to support the charity which took place at the end of the spring term. Mrs Capel visited the school this week to speak to the girls about Christopher’s Smile and to thank them for all their hard work in raising the donation.

Christopher’s Smile was set up in October 2008 by Karen and Kevin Capel following the tragic death of their only son Christopher from medulloblastoma, an aggressive childhood brain tumour. The charity works in partnership with the Institute of Cancer Research to help find effective treatments for children who suffer from childhood cancers. Current treatments are designed for adults and can leave the children that survive cancer with devastating side effects. The money raised by the Marist Preparatory School will help fund a ‘Higher Scientific Officer’ who will test new drugs that may be suitable for providing more effective cancer treatments for children.

Mrs Capel explained that ‘25% of children diagnosed with cancer fail to survive as adult therapies such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not targeted and were originally developed to treat adult cancers which behave differently to childhood cancers. Christopher’s Smile hopes to raise enough money to assist the paediatric drug development team at the ICR (Institute of Cancer Research) to develop the world’s first drug specifically for treating childhood cancers. This will mean improved survival rates and will limit the crippling side effects of current treatments.’

Mrs Jenny Peachey, Headteacher at the Marist Preparatory School said “As a school for young children, we have all been very moved by Christopher’s story and are full of admiration for the work Mr and Mrs Capel are doing in order to benefit young cancer sufferers. The pupils and staff at the school have been very glad to contribute to Christopher’s Smile and it has been a pleasure to welcome Mrs Capel to the school to hear more about the much needed work that the charity is involved in.”

Photo (from left): Karen Capel (founder of Christopher’s Smile), Jada Brevett, Hannah Brayshaw, Elizabeth Burn, Katie Walsham and Marist Prep teacher, Sue Johnson.