More than four decades of support
Charlie Bear was launched in 1978 to raise the £1 million to buy the region’s first whole body CT scanner. It has since provided over four decades of support for people living with cancer across the North East and Cumbria.
History
Initially known as the Daisy Appeal, the fund was launched by Daisy Clark MBE who was a cancer patient at the time, and along with husband Charles, began making and selling teddy bears to help raise the £1 million needed to buy the region’s first whole body CT scanner.
Following the sudden death of Charles, Daisy renamed the appeal Charlie Bear in his memory and with the generous support of the people of the North East, and the Evening Chronicle newspaper, she launched the ‘Make Charlie a Millionaire campaign’ which soon reached its target of £1 million by 1982. Daisy receive an MBE for her efforts.
After retiring, Daisy gave her blessing in 1993 for Charlie Bear to be adopted by the Northern Centre for Cancer Treatment (NCCT) at Newcastle General Hospital now the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) which is based at the Freeman Hospital, whereit has proudly remained ever since.
Daisy’s fundraising and support continued until her death in 1995 but her legacy lives on to this day and Charlie Bear remains a symbol of care and support helping to improving the quality of life and care for people living with cancer having treatment at NCCC .
What we support
Donations to Charlie Bear support our patients and staff at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and help us to keep pace with fast-moving developments in cancer care. Donations are also used to fund local research projects to develop new treatments and technologies and specialist staff training.
Donations to Charlie Bear have helped secure the revolutionary Stereotactic Radiotherapy facility in the NCCC which enabled cancer patients in our region to benefit from the most advanced form of radiotherapy in the country.
It also helps to purchase the little things that make a big difference such as extra patient comforts which allow patients to escape the clinical hospital environment, complementary therapy, comfortable seating areas for patients to relax and the Charlie Bear for Cancer Care garden.
All of these things help us to keep exceptional patient care is at the heart of everything we do whilst we remain at the cutting edge of cancer treatment in this country.
Donate
