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Raising Awareness Through Art: A Call for ‘Kinder Treatments’ this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

07 Sep 2026

Following the success of last year’s collaboration, two Tyneside charities have come together again in 2026 to commemorate Childhood Cancer Awareness Month through the co-creation of a powerful public art display at Tynemouth Station.

‘Kinder Treatments – A Tribute to the Scientific Research funded by Children’s Cancer North’ aims to shed light on the unseen but vital role of researchers, and the key breakthroughs in children’s cancer research over recent decades.

The installation is the second collaborative project that Children’s Cancer North and North Tyneside Art Studio have worked on, following the success of their 2025 exhibit ‘Invisible Journeys’ which featured 120 hand-crafted golden stars – one to represent each child who receives a cancer diagnosis across the North East and Cumbria every year.

Members of the North Tyneside Art Studio and Children's Cancer North teams stand together in the exhibition space to publicly launch the installation at Tynemouth Station, wearing gold in recognition of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Approximately 4,200 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year and, despite ongoing advancements in research and treatment, cancer remains the most common cause of childhood death outside of infancy.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month provides an opportunity to highlight the prevalence of the disease in our communities, and this thought-provoking new installation forms part of Children’s Cancer North’s ‘Paint The Toon Gold’ regional awareness campaign this September.

A series of 14 embellished lab coats hang inside the gallery space at Tynemouth Station, artistically crafted by members of North Tyneside Art Studio as part of the collaborative project between the two local charities.

Raising Awareness Through Art

Abigail Hewison, Head of Charity for Children’s Cancer North, shared;

‘‘We’re delighted to be working with the team at North Tyneside Art Studio again this year to help shed light on the important childhood cancer research taking place right here on our doorstep. As a charity, one of our main aims is to invest in revolutionary research, which we fund locally at Newcastle University, and it’s been wonderful to experience what often goes unseen behind closed doors be brought to life through this year’s installation.’’

A key focus of the research that Children’s Cancer North help to fund is in developing kinder and more targeted treatments for younger patients, benefitting children here in the North of England and globally. The work of the world-leading team at the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre has already resulted in improved methods to prospectively identify children at high risk of disease relapse so they can be treated more effectively and with improved survival.

Funding of childhood cancer research remains respectively low in the UK compared to that spent on research into adult cancers, with approximately only 2% of all funding used for dedicated childhood cancer research projects. Children’s Cancer North hope to use this installation as a catalyst to highlight the need for increased investment in clinical trials and the development of treatments which have fewer side effects and reduce the risk of long-lasting damage that current treatment methods, commonly developed for adults, can have on such young patients.

Painted gold and intricately embellished by members at North Tyneside Art Studio, a connecting chain of lab coats hang centrally in the exhibition space to symbolise individual scientists, their teamwork, and the complex, precise nature of their groundbreaking research. Written across their sleeves are short quotes from the research team, sharing what matters most to them and their proudest achievements within their paediatric oncology careers.

Floating chandelier-like sculptures surround the coats, made from plastic waste saved from the Children’s Cancer North Research Laboratories at Newcastle University. By elevating these discarded materials into artworks, the sculptures represent the ongoing search for ‘kinder treatments’ for children and utilise the everyday tools handled by the research team during this process.

The installation creatively repurposes plastic waste discarded from the research laboratories that Children’s Cancer North fund at Newcastle University.

A collective effort

Letizia Marchetti, Research Associate at the Wolfson Childhood Cancer Research Centre, Newcastle University, shared;

“It’s been a pleasure to have helped contribute to this installation by donating our lab’s waste plastic materials and old lab coats. To be able to see how something we’d usually just dispose of can be creatively repurposed into artwork is so exciting, and I can even recognise some of the bottles I know I’ve used myself in the lab on display.’’

She added, “I think that this project is a really inspiring way of sharing the work that we do here at Newcastle University with the public and to showcase how there are many different elements that come together in the discipline of paediatric oncology research.’’

As part of the project, North Tyneside Art Studio ran weekly workshop sessions throughout the summer where participants engaged in a variety of activities to design and embellish a lab coat of their own. Resulting in 14 uniquely designed garments, each with a different personal response to the brief.

Sam Burgess, Acting Chief Executive Officer at North Tyneside Art Studio, shared;

‘‘This is our second year working with Children’s Cancer North through their Paint The Toon Gold initiative, and we have seen first-hand what a valuable opportunity it provides for our Studio Members and Community participants.

‘‘This year’s project has given participants a genuine sense of purpose, helping them build confidence and self-esteem while reducing feelings of anxiety and loneliness. It provides something to look forward to, a reason to connect with others and an opportunity to feel valued and involved in a creative environment.

‘‘Through the programme, participants learnt new skills, met new people, solved problems together and worked as a team. These shared experiences strengthen relationships and create a real sense of belonging, all of which make a positive contribution to mental health and wellbeing.’’

Creating a shared sense of purpose

Pam, who participated in the project at North Tyneside Art Studio, added;

‘‘I really feel privileged to have taken part in the project to support Children’s Cancer North. From starting with just old, used white lab coats and a concept of gold, it was a bit daunting trying to be creative as I didn’t feel I was. With the support of the group, we spurred each other on with encouragement and all collaborated to try to create hanging pieces from recycled plastic bottles and packaging. It was very rewarding to see designs come together and it’s astonishing to see the final display with everyone’s efforts.’’

For more information about how you can get involved in or donate to our Paint The Toon Gold campaign this September, visit https://childrenscancernorth.org.uk/paint-the-toon-gold/.

To find out more about the work of North Tyneside Art Studio, visit https://northtynesideartstudio.org.uk/.

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Raising Awareness Through Art: A Call for ‘Kinder Treatments’ this Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

Sam Burgess, Acting Chief Executive Officer at North Tyneside Art Studio, shared;

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