Charity News

Date

March 05 2025

Written By

Team Willberry .

Charity Update

Written By Team Willberry . - March 05 2025

We wanted to provide a quick update on progress within Hannah’s Charity.

#inspiredByHannah

Our levels of activity with both our core activities, namely granting Willberry’s Wishes and funding scientific research, have increased over the past couple of years, with over 95 Wishes now granted and the number of projects funded by us shortly reaching double figures.  This is all really positive news, but it continues to take a huge effort from all our volunteers and  our Trustees.

With this in mind, we want to share some really positive news.  Hannah’s chose the Trustees she wanted to lead her charity and these all remain today, including Hannah’s parents (Rachel and James) and her grandma (June), together with Ian Peters and Miles Toulson-Clarke.  However, the increased activity referenced above means that we now feel is the time to broaden our Trustee group, not simply to create more resource but specifically to add critical skills we feel the Charity would benefit from.  We’re pleased to confirm the following Trustee appointments:

Dr Alice Goring  Alice was a close friend of Hannah and also helped her find her miniature Shetland, Doris!  Alice is a senior molecular scientist and completed her PhD at Southampton University.  Whilst studying there, she introduced us to her supervisor, Dr laire Clarkin, who has been the Chair of our Scientific Panel for the past few years.  In her capacity as Trustee, Alice will provide vital knowledge of the scientific community and will help guide us with our research activities.

Matt Clark  Matt is Operations Director of Old Mill, an accountancy and financial advisory practice.  Matt is also a survivor of osteosarcoma, which he was diagnosed with at 18 years of age, and told us about his remarkable journey of recovery when we first met him.  Matt then set himself the hugely onerous task of cycling over 1,000 miles to all the major eventing venues with his Travelling Willberrys, raising not just a remarkable amount of money for the Charity (over £14,000) but also increasing awareness of this hideous disease.  Matt will contribute not only his business experience to the Charity but, crucially, a patient perspective to add to all of Hannah’s extraordinarily powerful testimony that drives us each and every day.

In addition to these Trustee appointments, we’re overjoyed to let you know that Rachel, Hannah's mum, is now planning to dedicate her time to the running of the Charity and is assuming the role of General Manager.  Rachel is the heartbeat of the Charity, co-ordinating all aspects of what we do in Hannah’s memory and will now be able to dedicate even more energy to driving us all forwards!  We simply can’t think of a worthier person to do this and know that Hannah will be smiling.

Thank you for your continued support, we are so grateful.  We feel extremely proud of Hannah's charity and know that she would be thrilled that we continue to help so many people and and continuing her legacy in #kickingcancersbutt

Best wishes from us all x


Date

January 29 2025

Written By

Team Willberry .

The Biggest Pony Party

Written By Team Willberry . - January 29 2025

Now everybody knows that Willberry is the original party animal, and always top of the invitation list because of the way he can flash his hooves!  So can you imagine how excited he was when a new Wish application came in for a pony party.   This special pony party was for Ellie, she has osteosarcoma, the same cancer as Hannah had.  Now Willberry had to put his thinking cap on as this one was a bit special.... 10 year old Ellie wanted to have the party at her school so that all of her classmates could be there too – a grand total of 38 children!!!

Well, this was a fantastic challenge, and whilst Willberry knew his fairies have worked a few miracles in the past, he decided that a chat with the staff at St Martin’s CE Primary School would help the wish run smoothly as it would be all hooves on deck!  Our plan was in place, and we couldn’t wait to meet Ellie and her little brother Ted.

Willberry travelled down to Liskeard in Cornwall with lots on board!  His fellow Willberries in jump form, props for our unmounted games, party bags, freshly baked Willberry biscuits and some yummy snacks – and an extra surprise for Ellie of a very special cake for her and her family....  The journey down was a bit foggy and we hoped it wouldn’t rain, but thankfully although it was a bit misty the afternoon stayed dry.  Willberry was so excited when they drove over the Tamar Bridge crossing from Devon to Cornwall! 

When we arrived at the school had done Ellie proud, with bunting all around the playground and her name in big letters everywhere – what a special girl she is 😊

The stars of the show arrived at the same time as Willberry, four adorable ponies from the absolutely fantastic Little Margate Equestrian Centre in Bodmin, owned and run by the wonderful Rachel.   The ponies came out and looked at everything going on around them as if it was a perfectly normal occurrence to be in the middle of a school playground! Well the children were all so excited at seeing them, but obviously they couldn’t all ride at the same time so our plan was to divide them into four groups and rotate between four different activities..... there was obviously pony riding, then face painting with pin the tail on the donkey; another area where Willberry had brought lots of freshly baked Willberry biscuits for the children to ice and decorate and finally some gymkhana games on hobby horses!!  

                   

Ellie’s teacher Miss Nile was amazing, coordinating each group with impressive efficiency so that all the children managed to have fun in every single sector – what a feat!  Many children had beautiful unicorns painted on their faces, the biscuit decorating was great fun and the hobby horse gymkhana was hilarious and hugely popular.  What a lovely group of children, all helping one another.  We gave out little prizes for the winning teams of the gymkhana games, if one team had won again, they passed on their prize to the team that hadn't won, this all came from the children.  

   

The ponies were the stars of the day, and even though Ellie was in a wheelchair she was determined to get on board, and the huge smile on her face when she rode around on the sweetest pony Meg was just the best moment of the afternoon.   Every one of us who has ridden or been close to a horse knows how special this connection is, and how they make us feel is one of the most magical experiences in the world.  Many of the children who had not ridden or been with ponies before made immediate connections with them, which was extra special too.  Perhaps one or two may even become visitors to Little Margate themselves 😊 

   

Finally,   the children were gathered together and went inside for a yummy tea party in the classroom – Willberry had never seen so much popcorn and chocolate fingers, ohhh and cake!!  Miss Nile organized the children to collect their goody bags just before they said goodbye.

There was just one last treat for Ellie from Willberry – an AMAZING cake made by the incredibly talented Niki Lowe Cake Design in Liskeard with guess who on the top..... yep you guessed it..... Willberry!!

This has been the most wonderful and humbling wish to create for Ellie, she is the most incredible young girl with the heart of a lion, and we have been so happy to be able to do this for her at such a tough time.

Our thanks are multiple.... to Miss Nile and all the staff at St Martin’s CE Primary School – you were incredible!  To Niki Lowe – nothing was too much trouble, you were very generous and supportive of our charity, and you made the most beautiful cake that made a little girl very happy..

And finally our huge and heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to the kindness and generosity of Rachel,  Mandy, Jess, Jezzie, Dolcie and Lola from Little Margate Equestrian.  Your unequivocal and immediate support at our request has touched us greatly, and we cannot thank you enough for your time and commitment to make this a most special wish for us all.

                            

And finally to Ellie.... dream big, fight hard and never give up 

Date

January 22 2025

Written By

Team Willberry .

A new research partnership with Middlesex University

Written By Team Willberry . - January 22 2025

Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity is funding a second PhD studentship at Middlesex University’s Centre for Investigative & Diagnostic Oncology. Led by Dr Helen Roberts, Associate Professor in Skeletal Cancer Research, this study will focus on identifying treatments to stop osteosarcoma, a rare and aggressive bone cancer, from spreading to other tissues such as the lungs.

Dr Helen Roberts


After her own diagnosis with osteosarcoma in 2015, the charity was founded by Hannah Francis, a talented equestrian. Motivated by her experiences with limited treatment options, Hannah created her charity in March 2016 to fund vital research into the disease. Sadly, Hannah passed away in August 2016 at just 18 years old, but her vision continues to inspire impactful research.

 Hannah competing on her special horse 'Chesney'


For more than three decades, survival rates for osteosarcoma patients have not improved, largely due to insufficient understanding of how and why the cancer spreads. Dr Roberts’ earlier research project funded by Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity suggested that osteosarcoma interacts with osteoclasts—cells that break down bone tissue—to establish itself and then spread to the lungs. Academics found this effect can be reversed by the drug zoledronic acid, which is commonly used to treat osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become weak.

The new project will employ genetic engineering to delve deeper into how osteosarcoma spreads to the lungs and hopes to refine drug treatment strategies and improve patient outcomes.

Dr Helen Roberts commented:

“I’m thrilled to have the support of Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity to expand on our previous work together and develop treatments to prevent osteosarcoma from spreading to the lungs. Together with collaborators at the Royal Veterinary College, we will use cutting-edge genetic engineering models to advance our understanding and test new drugs.”

The project also benefits from the oncology expertise of Dr Song Wen, a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Science at Middlesex University, and the tissue engineering experience of Dr Scott Roberts, a Reader in Translational Skeletal Research at the Royal Veterinary College.

Dr Scott Roberts, who has spent more than a decade developing lab-grown tissues to discover new therapeutic targets, said, “I’m excited to collaborate on this initiative. By combining genetic engineering with our current knowledge of osteosarcoma, we aim to identify drug targets that suppress tumour metastasis.”

The team has recruited Wendy Gomez, a talented student who has recently started the project at Middlesex University. Wendy, a graduate of Queen Mary University with an MSc in Biomedical Engineering (Distinction), shared her enthusiasm:

“I’m honoured to join this ground-breaking research. I look forward to contributing to a deeper understanding of osteosarcoma metastasis.”

Wendy Gomez


Professor Shân Wareing, Vice-Chancellor at Middlesex University, added:

“We’re proud to support this important partnership with the Royal Veterinary College and Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity. Our Centre for Investigative & Diagnostic Oncology is committed to advancing cancer research and training the next generation of scientists like Wendy. Together, we aim to make meaningful strides in combatting cancer.”

Rachel Francis, parent of Hannah and trustee of her charity, added:

“We’re delighted to be extending our support of Helen’s team at Middlesex University. Our first project contributed significantly to the understanding of osteosarcoma, and we have no doubt this new project will complement this. Hannah would be pleased to see the work of her charity continuing and this marks the ninth research project funded by her charity. We’re immensely grateful to all our supporters for enabling this to happen.”

Date

November 01 2024

Written By

Team Willberry .

Meet the researcher: Dr Jun Ishihara

Written By Team Willberry . - November 01 2024

Read our interview to learn about Dr Jun Ishihara, who is a lecturer in the Department of Bioengineering at Imperial College London, journey into research and how his upbringing in Tokyo inspired this path.

What is your project about and how will it help patients?

The project is focused on creating immunotherapy that is safe and effective for osteosarcoma patients.

Creating new therapies should always be a priority for patients with diseases that are difficult to treat. The goal of this project is to provide treatment that is more effective to give osteosarcoma patients the greatest chance of survival.

Why is it so important to conduct this research into osteosarcoma?

When I was reading papers on osteosarcoma, I was very shocked by the few treatment options available. I was also surprised that younger generations count for over half of the patient population.

I wanted to conduct this research to provide a novel treatment that is effective in the long-term, so that patients are not afraid of the disease coming back and spreading to other parts of their bodies in the future.

Why did you decide to explore immunotherapy?

As a protein engineer, my specialism is proteins and immune activation against cancer occurring.

Immunotherapy is a new area which dramatically improved therapeutic outcomes for other cancers. As my expertise lies in modifying and improving treatments, I really want to apply these advancements to osteosarcoma to help improve outcomes for these patients.

This type of treatment supports the body's immune system to recognise and attack cancer cells so it offers a novel, more targeted approach for osteosarcoma patients.

When did you first know that you wanted a career in research?

Throughout my childhood my father was a professor in Tokyo, and I was really intrigued by his career when I was younger. He was always busy and highly respected in my home.

After deciding to follow his footsteps, I realised that research is a fulfilling job because you are always looking to the future. Being part of the dream that one day we will find a cure for osteosarcoma is truly special.

Who do you admire in the history of science and why?

I look up to Professor Robert Langer from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), who is a prominent figure in the field of bioengineering.

He is the co-founder of Moderna, a company which produced one of the vaccines used against Covid-19. Before this success, many people told him that he should give up, but he kept going. Eventually Professor Langer used science to save lives, and I find his story really encouraging.

Do you have a message for patients going through treatment?

Even if it's not today or tomorrow, eventually we will find a cure for primary bone cancer. There is always hope.

There's lots of promising research that's going on in the field, and I think the work that's being done now will go on to change the world and revolutionise treatment in the future.

Tomorrow is better than today. I want patients who are going through difficult times to know that we are doing everything in our power to change that.

Do you have a message for BCRT and Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony supporters?

I want to say a huge thank you for making this research possible. Without you this work to find more effective treatments for future patients could not go ahead, and I am in awe of all the fundraising you have done to make this happen.

Scientists, fundraisers and charities are all part of one big team, and it is only through our collective efforts and collaboration that we can work towards a brighter future for osteosarcoma patients.

To find out more about Dr Ishihara's research project, visit the link HERE

Date

October 11 2024

Written By

Team Willberry .

New research awarded aimed at developing new and kinder treatment options for osteosarcoma patients

Written By Team Willberry . - October 11 2024

Hannah’s Willberry Wonder Pony Charity and The Bone Cancer Research Trust have joined forces to award Dr Jun Ishihara from Imperial College London a research grant aimed at exploring a new immunotherapy approach to osteosarcoma.

A protein named interleukin-12 (IL-12) is known to successfully activate anti-tumour immune cells against several cancers. However, despite showing strong anti-tumour activity, IL-12 induces severe toxicity to other tissues.

Dr Ishihara has successfully been able to reduce IL-12's toxicity by incorporating an additional fragment (tumour-targeted domain - TDD) to the IL-12 protein that enables it to be delivered selectively to the tumour, thereby reducing its effect on healthy tissue.

TTD-IL-12 is effective in laboratory models for other cancer types and initial osteosarcoma laboratory models. This project aims to extend the results found in other cancers to a full range of laboratory models of osteosarcoma.

The research also aims to determine if a combination of TDD-IL-12 with doxorubicin (part of the current MAP chemotherapy regime) can offer additional benefit.

Dr Zoe Davison, Head of Research, Support and Information at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, shared:

"Immunotherapy is emerging as an effective treatment in many cancers and works by helping the immune system find and attack cancer cells. With treatment options for osteosarcoma patients remaining unchanged for decades it's vital that we investigate options such as immunotherapy for our patients and try to translate the progress being made in other cancers to osteosarcoma. We're delighted to be able to do this in collaboration with Hannah's Willberry Wonder Pony Charity who wholeheartedly have the same aim as us, to offer osteosarcoma patients kinder and more effective treatments."

Rachel and James Francis, parents of Hannah and trustees of her charity, added:

"When Hannah was ill, we investigated all the potential treatment options available, although these were few and far between. One area of rapid development for other cancers was in immunotherapy, but no such options existed for osteosarcoma. So we are hugely excited about jointly funding this new grant which will explicitly investigate this exciting area of science. We're equally pleased to be working with the Bone Cancer Research Trust as we both share the same vision and a determination to provide brighter prospects for those diagnosed with this dreadful disease in the future".

To find out more about this project, please click here

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