NEWS FROM CANCER RESEARCH UK

HITTING THE HIGH NOTES: UK WOMEN AND CELEBRITIES UNITE FOR CHARITY RECORD
Cancer Research UK re-release ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ to launch Race for Life 2010

Hundreds of women from across the UK have joined over 20 celebrities to record a unique charity single in aid of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life. The track, led by DJ and singer Sonique, who is currently undergoing treatment for breast cancer, is a remake of Cyndi Lauper’s 1980s classic ‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun.’ The single, due to be released on the 26th April to mark the start of Race for Life – the UK’s largest women-only fundraising series, will be sold exclusively by official Race for Life partner Tesco and available to download on iTunes, with proceeds going directly to help beat cancer.

Sonique, whose lines on the track see her returning to the microphone for the first time since her diagnosis last June, is joined on the song by a host of female celebrities including Coronation Street‘s Kym Marsh, actress Caroline Quentin, Big Brother star Nicola T and the X-Factor’s Lucie Jones. The track also features a number of inspirational women who have been personally affected by cancer, as well as the contributions of women from around the UK, captured by mobile producers who have been touring shopping centres over the last six weeks.

Sonique said: “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” really embodies the spirit of Race for Life because, although there’s a serious message behind the activity, it really does feel like the ultimate girls’ day out. The fact that any woman, no matter how good their voice is, has been able to get involved is brilliant and really captures the essence of Race for Life. It’s not competitive and women of all ages, shapes and sizes can take part. I’d urge every woman to sign up for an event this year!”

Denya Dessena, a breast cancer survivor aged 40 from Crawley, who recorded her lines for the track this weekend, said: “ I loved every minute of my day in the recording studio – if you’d have told me a few months ago that I was going to record a single with so many famous singers, I’d have said you were mad! It’s great to come together with so many different women to take part in this, because cancer is something that doesn’t discriminate - it can affect women from all walks of life, regardless of age, money or status. It’s been great fun recording the single and I would love for it to go to number one so that we can raise as much money as possible for Cancer Research UK.”

Now in its 17th year, Race for Life is the UK’s largest women-only fundraising series, with over 230 events taking place this summer. Women from across the UK come together to simply walk, jog or run 5k and raise money to help beat cancer. Since Race for Life began in 1994, there has been a 15 per cent drop in the death rate from cancer, something that money raised from Race for Life has helped to achieve. This year the charity is hoping over 700,000 women come together to raise an incredible £60 million to fund Cancer Research UK’s life saving work.

Each Race for Life event covers a distance of 5k and Cancer Research UK is encouraging women of all ages and levels of fitness to participate. To sign up for a Race for Life event and for more information on how to take part in the ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ single, go to www.raceforlife.org

’Girls Just Want To Have Fun’, in aid of Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life, will be released in late April and will be sold exclusively in over 800 Tesco stores and available to download on iTunes. Tesco has been a proud partner of Race for Life since 2002 and during the past nine years over 152,000 female members of staff have taken part, raising over an incredible £5.6 million to support Cancer Research UK.

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For more press information or images please contact Frank PR on 020 7693 6999/ 0781 309 5242 or email cancerresearchuk@frankpr.it

* Interviews with selected celebrities and case studies are available upon request


Notes to Editors

About Sonique and her cancer experience:

Sonique (real name Sonia Clarke), aged 41, is a British singer and DJ who is currently being treated for breast cancer. Sonique was diagnosed less than a year ago in May 2009. After a biopsy, it was revealed that the disease had spread to the lymph nodes under her arms and she was rushed straight into hospital for an operation to remove both the lump and lymph nodes. A week later Sonique had another operation to remove further tissue, which was then followed by five months of intensive chemotherapy that finished two months ago in November. Soon after this, doctors recommended that Sonique went though her third operation to remove additional tissue as a preventative measure. January and February will see Sonique go through six weeks of preventative radiotherapy which will hopefully signify the end of her cancer journey.

‘Girls Just Want To Have Fun’ celebrity contributors (to date) include:

• Sonique, 41, British DJ and singer
• Lucie Jones, 18, X Factor Finalist 2009
• Nicola Tappenden, 27, Model and Celebrity Big Brother contestant
• Caroline Quentin, 49, actress
• Carol Decker, 53, British Recording Artist (80’s band T’Pau)
• Kym Marsh, 34, Actress/singer
• Nina Wadia, 42, Eastenders actress
• Danielle Lloyd, 27, British glamour model
• Lucy Benjamin, 40, Actress
• Su-Elise Nash, 29, British singer who found fame in girlband Mis-Teeq
• Cheeky Girls, aka, Gabriella and Monica Irimia, both 28, female duo
• Lisa Scott-Lee, 35, British recording artist
• The Hollyoaks Girls -Nicole Barber-lane, Dominique Jackson – plays Lauren Valentine, Melissa Walton – plays Loretta Jones, Jorgie Porter – plays Teresa McQueen, Nicole Barber-Lane - plays Myra McQueen, Alice Barlow – plays Rae, Loui Bately – played Sarah Barnes
• Rebekah Gibbs, 34, actress
• Jaime Jay, 27, British singer
• Kelli Young, 29, Singer who found fame with pop band Liberty X
• Zoe Salmon, 30, TV presenter

About Cancer Research UK:

• Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK’s vision is to beat cancer
• Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose and treat different kinds of cancer
• Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients
• Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made and the choices each person can make
• Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer
• For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 020 7009 8820 or visit

www.cancerresearchuk.org.uk

NEWS FROM VIVA

Tess Daly crowned Viva’s MILF of the Year 2010
The Alternative Mother’s Day Award

Vernon Kay’s recent philandering ways have clearly won his missus some unexpected male attention as Tess Daly was today revealed as the hottest celebrity mum, earning her the much coveted title of Viva’s MILF of the Year 2010.

Winning the poll with 46% of the votes, the blonde northern lass battled off competition from fellow hot celebrity mums Holly Willoughby, Myleene Klass, Toni Terry and Jennifer Ellison who completed the top 5 MILF’s.

Whilst serial strayer John Terry may have some competition on his hands for the attention of his hot wife, Toni, newly single Kerry Katona is back on the market but with no takers in sight as she ranks within the bottom five MILF’s in today’s poll.

Katie Price also doesn’t seem to be doing so well with the lads, with only 3% voting for Jordan in the poll. It’s a good job Alex Reid has taken the once Mrs Andre off the market, as if the Viva poll is anything to go by she won’t have potential suitors queuing up at her door anytime soon!

A spokesperson for Viva entertainment channel said: “Upon hearing the news of her latest award win, Tess declined to comment – it seems her hubby’s scandalous behaviour is giving her enough food for thought but we’re hoping winning the alternative Mother’s Day award has put a smile back on Tess’ face anyway.

“Tess is certainly a stunning lady and we hope that she is proud to be Viva’s MILF of the Year 2010. Vernon should watch his back – if he keeps playing away from home, Tess may just accept one of her many other options elsewhere!”

The top five Viva MILF’s for 2010:
1. Tess Daly
2. Holly Willoughby
3. Myleene Klass
4. Toni Terry
5. Jennifer Ellison

The bottom five Viva MILF’s for 2010:
1. Jordan
2. Kerry Katona
3. Colleen Rooney
4. Victoria Beckham
5. Charlotte Church


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For further information on the award or images please contact the Viva team on
0207 693 6999 or viva@frankpr.it

Notes to Editors:
The poll of 500 respondents was carried out by Viva Entertainment Channel between 4th March 2010 and 9th March 2010

Viva says Big Up Your Mum! Tune in to celebrate the brilliant superstar mums in the world, from the pop pant-folders to the celebrity mega mums we give you two hours of our favourite pop mums and their finest video moments from 9-11.

NEWS FROM SKINNY COW

Want a new Wardrobe in 2010? The Skinny Cow® Hot Chocolate and Kelly Brook say ‘Oh Yes, you can!’

Coming to the rescue of fashionistas feeling the pinch of Christmas and the recession – The Skinny Cow® has teamed up with Kelly Brook to host a celebrity charity Swap Shop, to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

With items donated by the likes of Holly Willoughby, Sarah Harding and Danielle Lloyd – the exclusive Swap Shops will give fashion fiends the chance to breathe new life into their wardrobes through swapping not shopping!

By becoming a fan of The Skinny Cow® on www.facebook.com/skinnycowuk women will be able to enter into a draw to attend the London and Manchester based events. For those women who don’t win an invite to the Swap Shops a facebook ‘Skinny Dip’ will let women battle it out to win more amazing fashion items and get a new look wardrobe for 2010.

The Skinny Cow® , which is owned by Nestlé UK, will be raising funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care, Nestlé UK’s charity of choice for 2009 and 2010 by making a donation for every item ‘swapped’ by a celebrity at the two events and online.

Throughout the year, Nestlé UK is aiming to raise £250,000 which will help fund 12,500 hours of Marie Curie nursing care for terminally ill people and their families in local communities.

Kelly Brook, who is hosting the London Swap shop, said ‘I love the idea of women swapping clothes to create new and different styles! It really encourages creativity and is all for a fantastic cause. I’ve even slipped a few of my own former-favourites in; I can’t wait to get to see all the different things people bring!’

Olivia Hibbert, Assistant Brand Manager for The Skinny Cow® Hot Chocolate said ‘The recession and Christmas has meant a lot of women have been cutting back so we wanted to create the perfect excuse for women to treat themselves to something new without feeling guilty- Oh Yes You Can! The Skinny Cow® is excited to be working in partnership with Kelly Brook to raise funds for Marie Curie Cancer Care by creating a unique event in aid of a great cause.’


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For more information or images please contact Frank PR on 0207 693 6999 or email skinnycow@frankpr.it

Notes to editors
About Skinny Cow Hot Chocolate:
• Is available in two delicious flavours - Indulgent Chocolate and Indulgent Mint
• Good to know: Skinny Cow hot chocolate is Only 37 calories a mug, low in fat and sugars, a source of fibre, and contains no artificial preservatives, no added colours and no hydrogenated vegetable oils.
• Available at most major supermarkets
• RRP: Jar (200g) £2.99 and single stick (10g) 31p
• Skinny Cow Hot Chocolate - Typical nutritional values per mug (10g serving made with 200ml water) are: Energy: 37kcal/155kJ, Protein: 2.0g, Carbohydrate: 3.9g (of which sugars 3.6g), Fat: 1.5g (of which saturates: 1.0g), Fibre: 1.4g, Sodium: 0.1g, Salt Equivalent: 0.3g
• Skinny Cow Hot Chocolate – Guideline Daily Amounts per mug: Energy: 37kcal (2%*), Sugars: 3.6g (4%*), Fat: 1.5g (2%*), Saturates: 1.0g (5%*), Salt: 0.3g (5%*)
• *% Average Adult Guideline Daily Amount (GDA). GDAs are guidelines. Personal requirements vary depending on age, gender, weight and activity levels. For more information about GDAs, visit, www.whatsinsideguide.

About Swishing:
Swishing, which The Skinny Cow Swap Shop is based on, involves getting your friends together to swap gorgeous clothes and socialise at the same time. Every girl must bring at least one good quality, clean item of clothing, or an accessory, that she'd feel proud to hand on and once all attendees are assembled the clothes are pooled together and the choosing begins.

The Skinny Cow® Hot Chocolate is aiming to raise £15,000 through the Swap Shop activity alone for Marie Curie Cancer Care.

About Marie Curie Cancer Care:
Marie Curie Cancer Care is one of the UK’s largest charities. Employing more than 2,700 nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, it expects to provide care to around 29,000 terminally ill patients in the community and in its hospices this year and is the largest provider of hospice beds outside the NHS.

Funding
Around 70 per cent of the charity’s income comes from the generous support of thousands of individuals, membership organisations and businesses, with the balance of funds coming from the NHS.

Marie Curie Nurses
The charity is best known for its network of Marie Curie Nurses working in the community to provide end-of-life care, totally free for patients in their own homes.

Research
The charity has two centres for palliative care research, The Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit at University College London and The Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute in Liverpool.
It also funds seven fundamental scientific research groups which investigate the causes and treatments of cancer. This research was previously carried out at the Marie Curie Research Institute in Oxted, Surrey. The programmes are now located in universities around the country, and will receive funding from the charity until 2012.

Supporting the choice to die at home
Research shows around 65 per cent of people would like to die at home if they had a terminal illness, with a sizeable minority opting for hospice care. However, more than 50 per cent of cancer deaths still occur in hospital, the place people say they would least like to be. Since 2004 Marie Curie Cancer Care has been campaigning for more patients to be able to make the choice to be cared for and die at home.

NEWS FROM NO SMOKING DAY

Kick the habit the social way this year with WeQuit™ -

Brought to you by No Smoking Day 2010

National charity No Smoking Day is taking a modern approach to help people finally kick the habit in 2010, with their launch of WeQuit™

Available now at www.WeQuit.co.uk/facebook, WeQuit allows you to create rewards for success, forfeits for failure, or even try and raise money for charity with a sponsored quit. However you choose to motivate the attempt, WeQuit uses the power of Facebook to help make quitting fun.

Surveys show that over 2 million smokers are ready to stub it out for good on No Smoking Day, Wednesday March 10th 2010. Quitting is never easy, but with friends around to help you through the toughest times, staving off the cravings needn’t be a nightmare. We might like to deny it, but we’re all a bit conscious about how we look on Facebook, which is what makes WeQuit such an effective aid: Choose a challenge, tell your friends, then stick to it!

Quitting smoking can often feel like a negative action, and with this in mind the emphasis was to create something that makes giving up smoking fun. Below is a list of some of things WeQuit can do:

Choose a length ­– Giving up smoking forever can be a daunting thought, so with WeQuit you choose the length of the challenge, whether it be a week, a month, or even just a day.

Challenge your friends – You don’t have to be a smoker to use WeQuit, you just have to know one. Encourage someone you know to ditch the habit by enticing them with a personalized challenge.

Bet you can’t – Motivate your mates with some light competition, with rewards for success, or forfeits for failure!

Quit for good – Perfect for spurring on an ethically-minded friend, you can sponsor a quit by pledging to give money to charity if they succeed.

Head to Head - Go up against a mate to see who can quit the longest, spicing it up with a reward for the winner (or a forfeit for the loser…)

Get involved – Keep friends on track with encouraging comments (or a nudge for that cheeky Friday night fag) by posting photos and comments onto their Wall of Fame and Shame.

Track your progress – Unlock secret medals, see how your friends are getting on, and share your WeQuit challenge progress with your mates.

Duncan Bannatyne OBE, President of No Smoking Day, commented: “We feel that quitting is a challenge that should be inspiring and enjoyable rather than a chore, and it’s this attitude that makes WeQuit unique.”

Check out the application now at www.quitclub.co.uk/facebook. Choose your challenge, get your friends involved, and get ready for March 10th, when No Smoking Day 2010 kicks off and the WeQuit Challenge officially begins.

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Notes to editors

No Smoking Day is organised by a charity of the same name run by four full time staff. Based in London, the charity is funded by a coalition of governmental and voluntary sector organisations with an interest in health.

No Smoking Day aims to help people who want to stop smoking by creating a supportive environment for them, and by highlighting the many sources of help available to people who want to quit.

Now in its 27th year it is a firm fixture in the UK calendar because of its popularity amongst smokers and continued success. Three quarters of smokers would like to stop and on No Smoking Day over a million try. No Smoking Day isn't just about the second Wednesday in March. Stopping smoking requires much planning, encouragement, support and motivation. Helping others to prepare to quit can be done year round, but the Day provides an excellent focus and motivation for many smokers to stop.

Full quotes below:

“No Smoking Day has always encouraged smokers to work together and focus on one day to decide to make the change and quit. WeQuit makes this possible all year round by using the power of Facebook to keep those around you involved, make quitting more fun, more social and more accountable than ever before We feel that quitting is a challenge that should be inspiring and enjoyable rather than a chore, and it’s this attitude that makes WeQuit unique.”

- Duncan Bannatyne, President of No Smoking Day

“No Smoking Day for me has always been about giving people the passion and inspiration to break free of the habit together on one day, and now with WeQuit people can make the decision to quit in their own time, throughout the year. Facebook is a part of people’s everyday lives, so it’s really cool to use it to change lives. That’s what’s so exciting about WeQuit – it uses Facebook to help quitters benefit from the love of their family and friends, and break free of smoking once and for all. I can’t wait to see it making a difference out there!”

- Lemar, No Smoking Day Ambassador 2010

“In addition to the annual No Smoking Day, with WeQuit the challenge is to keep people motivated all year round, and give them the opportunity to choose their own day to quit. That’s why we’re so excited to be using Facebook to help people use the positive re-enforcement - and good humour - of family and friends to make their commitment stick. WeQuit lets you try and quit smoking at time that’s right for you, whilst still gaining the support you need from those around you to make the change happen.”

Laura Luxton No Smoking Day PR & Marketing Manager

Singer/songwriter Lemar is a two times BRIT Award winner and three times MOBO winner who continues to be one of the most popular artists in the UK. His greatest hits album 'The Hits' will be released on March 1st, including the Top 10 hits, 'Dance (With U)', 'If There's Any Justice' and 'It's Not That Easy'. The album has been preceded by the brand new single 'The Way Love Goes' which went out on February 14th.


For further information, contact Frank PR on 0207 693 7480



www.nosmokingday.org.uk

NEWS FROM HOVIS

Hovis goes Ga-Ga for new scarecrow

Lady Ga Ga, famous for her scary outfits and bizarre make-up, is the inspiration behind a new range of scarecrows for Hovis – thanks to one Brits-watching farmer.

Nigel Britten from Whelan Farm in Surrey is one of over 600 farmers growing premium wheat exclusively for Hovis as part of its move to using 100% British wheat. He came up with the idea after seeing Lady Ga Ga’s latest fashion creation at the Brit Awards.

Nigel said “We’ve been worried about the increasing audacity of birds on our farms for some time. The old ways just don’t seem to work anymore, so farmers are having to become more and more inventive. I was watching Lady Gaga at the Brits with my wife and the idea suddenly came to me!”

“I know it’s not the most traditional scarecrow, but I suppose we have to move with the times! I don’t know whether it’s the dress or the hair but the birds are terrified – they daren’t approach the field anymore. Though I suppose she does look pretty scary”.

Marie Davies, Marketing Manager at Hovis said “We’re very excited by our move to 100% British Wheat and are passionate about protecting our crops which have taken over five years to perfect. The Lady Ga Ga scarecrow is a little bit unusual but it’s been a great success for Nigel and it’s definitely something we’re now considering rolling out to all our Hovis 100% British wheat farms”

Hovis has made a milestone change to its entire product range baked in Great Britain by switching over to flour milled from 100% British wheat and supporting British farming. Hovis is the first major bread brand to make this change.

For more information visit www.hovisbakery.co.uk

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For further information please contact Frank PR on 0207 693 6999 or email hovis@frankpr.it