Since 2016, the LPT has funded everything from early-stage laboratory research to clinical trials. The charity has become one of the UK's leading funders of childhood cancer research, thanks to its incredible supporters and its crucial partnership with CCLG.
The LPT was first established in memory of five-year-old Hannah Tarplee, who died from kidney cancer in 2005. The charity initially provided free, real hair wigs to children and young people experiencing hair loss, after Hannah’s parents, Wendy Tarplee-Morris and Simon Tarplee, saw the impact losing her hair had during cancer treatment.
In 2016, hoping to create a better future for children diagnosed with cancer, the charity partnered with CCLG to begin funding research alongside its wig service. This partnership combines the LPT's commitment to funding research with CCLG's expertise in managing research funding and connections to leading researchers from across the UK.
Ashley Ball-Gamble, Chief Executive of CCLG, said: "Over the last 10 years, the LPT has backed bold ideas, supported talented researchers and accelerated progress across many different childhood cancers. We are incredibly proud of what this partnership has achieved and grateful for the trust it has placed in CCLG to help deliver its research programme."
Ashley Ball-Gamble, CEO of CCLG
The partnership has also had a wider impact on the field of childhood cancer research. In 2019, CCLG and the LPT partnered with the James Lind Alliance on a Priority Setting Partnership (PSP). The final report in 2022 identified the top 10 research questions that are most in need of answering, according to patients, families, and professionals. This has provided a crucial guide for research funders, helping to ensure efforts are focused on the questions that matter most.
Wendy, LPT co-founder and Director of Services and Impact at the LPT, said: "When we launched our research programme, we wanted to make sure every donation could have the biggest possible impact for children and young people with cancer. Working alongside CCLG has enabled us to support outstanding science and brilliant researchers.
Wendy, LPT co-founder and Director of Services and Impact at the LPT
“We're proud that every project we've funded over the past decade has helped tackle one or more of the questions families, patients and professionals told us matter most. The progress we've seen over the last 10 years is incredibly encouraging, and we're determined to keep supporting the research that can change the future for children and young people with cancer."