The Calendar Girls are used to rubbing shoulders with celebrity – and now they share the Queen’s portrait photographer to launch Seasons of Love, a unique celebration of words, music and film at the Royal Albert Hall, 7 October 2012, 4pm and 8pm.

Photographer John Swannell, who took the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee portrait, travelled to Yorkshire to take pictures of the Girls for an article in May’s issue of Good Housekeeping magazine (out 2 April).  Good Housekeeping are sponsoring the matinee performance of Seasons of Love to celebrate the remarkable ladies who created the first ever, naked, ‘Alternative WI Calendar’ and have since raised £3million for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

The gala show promises to be unmissable with contributions from the City of London Philharmonic, the West End Chorus, Stephen Disley and the Grand Organ of the Royal Albert Hall together with some of the VIPs and stars of the stage and screen The Calendar Girls have met along the way.

This spectacular, fund-raising event at the Royal Albert Hall will be a multi-media celebration of the achievements of The Calendar Girls, with the theme of love, in honour of their inspiration and the husband of Calendar Girl Angela, John Baker, who tragically died from lymphoma.

Seasons of Love will be created and directed by Hugh Wooldridge and his team who have supported Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research with ANTHEMS: The Concert with Kerry Ellis and Brian May in 2010 and The Night of 1000 Voices in 2010 and again taking place this year on Spring Bank Holiday Sunday May 6 at the Royal Albert Hall.  Hugh’s long-time colleague, the distinguished West End maestro, David Firman, will again conduct; and evocative projections will be thanks to The Calendar Girls original photographer, Terry Logan.

Seasons of Love will bring together the City of London Philharmonic, VIP solo performers, the West End Chorus, the Royal Albert Hall organ and a few surprises, to take us through an emotional journey of exquisite music, shared memories and, no doubt, lots of laughter and many tears.

Alan Titchmarsh will be amongst the show’s presenters and many of the actresses from the film and play have also already agreed to join us.

Cathy Gilman, chief executive of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research says: “When that first calendar was launched in 1999 we couldn’t have imagined what The Calendar Girls would go on to achieve; a new awareness of ladies of a certain age, one of the UK’s most successful films and touring play and most important of all, the chance of a future for blood cancer patients where in many cases there was none.”

Tickets range from £20-£55 and can be purchased through the Royal Albert Hall Box Office on 020 7589 8212 or book online at www.royalalberthall.com/tickets

Scientists at the University of Birmingham are designing innovative treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL), the most common form of blood cancer in the UK.

Professor Tatjana Stankovic and her team at the University’s School of Cancer Sciences will test whether drugs that inhibit DNA-damaged cells from repairing themselves can target the ‘Achilles heel’ of CLL.

The team has been awarded £600,000 for the three-year project by the blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

Chemotherapy damages the DNA of cancer cells, triggering them to ‘commit suicide’, and most CLL patients respond to this treatment. However, up to 15 per cent of patients with CLL carry cancer cells with a genetic mutation that means they do not die after chemotherapy. Additionally, chemotherapy also kills healthy cells, causing many unpleasant side effects.

The DNA ‘repair inhibitors’ have already been proven to be successful in treating breast cancer and some other blood cancers. The University of Birmingham team believe that these drugs could also be used to target CLL cells which have become resistant to standard chemotherapy.

The Birmingham scientists think that a combination of the inhibitor drugs, which prevent proteins within cancerous cells from repairing the cell after chemotherapy, could help overcome drug resistance.

Prof Stankovic said: “Some patients carry genetic mutations within their leukaemia cells which make them resistant to chemotherapy. By testing various drugs in the laboratory we can establish the best way to prevent the cancer cells from repairing themselves and multiplying. The ultimate aim is to develop effective drugs for leukaemia patients in clinical trials.”

Dr David Grant, Science Director at Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, added: “CLL is currently incurable, but we hope that this research will be another step towards finding better treatments for people affected by this common form of blood cancer.”
 

• Performers announced for The Night of 1000 Voices include Kerry Ellis, Peter Polycarpou & Bonnie Langford plus special VIP Guests

• The concert returns to raise money for Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research on Sunday May 6, 2012 – 8.00pm at the Royal Albert Hall, London

• Hosted by Christopher Biggins (I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here)

The Night of 1000 Voices, the annual, star-studded event celebrating musical theatre at the Royal Albert Hall, is to take place on Spring Bank Holiday Sunday May 6, 2012 and will fundraise for blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

The first line-up of star performers for this year’s The Night of 1000 Voices is being announced today.

Stars confirmed from London’s West End include Ricardo Afonso, Daniel Boys, Kerry Ellis, Bonnie Langford, Peter Polycarpou, Clive Rowe, Caroline Sheen and Sally Ann Triplett. From Europe, Germany’s leading man, Yngve Gasoy Romdal, and perennial favourite, David Michael Johnson. The Producers also promise Special VIP Guests.

The Night of 1000 Voices has delighted capacity audiences at the Royal Albert Hall since 1999 and has raised nearly half a million pounds for UK-based charities. On Spring Bank Holiday Sunday May 6, 2012, the star performers, the 1000 Voices Massed Choir, Stephen Disley (organ) and The City of London Philharmonic will again perform a musical night to remember.

For this Olympic and Diamond Jubilee Year The Night of 1000 Voices will be celebrating the Best of British including some of the most requested songs from Evita, The Lion King, Jesus Christ Superstar, Les Misérables and, new for 2012, Miss Saigon.

In 2012, The Night of 1000 Voices again be for the benefit of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research. Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research is dedicated to saving lives through leading UK research into better treatments and cures for all blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. The charity receives no government funding and relies entirely on people coming together to fundraise.

Cathy Gilman, Chief Executive, says: "Since 1960, Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research has invested in world-class research and survival rates have increased dramatically for patients with leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. However, there’s still a long way to go and money raised from this evening will help us get closer to a cure. In 2010, The Night of 1000 Voices raised for us in excess of £140,000.00 – a phenomenal sum.”

The West End’s distinguished maestros, Stuart Morley and David Firman, will once again supervise the massed musical forces and director Hugh Wooldridge says “This evening is a must for all who love musicals. Come along and hear the best performers in the world performing some of the greatest songs. Come and join in the fun; come and raise funds for this most splendid charity whilst raising the roof of the Royal Albert Hall.”

The Night of 1000 Voices takes place on Sunday May 6, 2012 at 8.00pm

Tickets start at £17.50 and are available from the Royal Albert Hall box office on 020 7589 8212 or by visiting www.royalalberthall.com

For more information about the event please visit www.thenightof1000voices.com