A BLACKBURN entrepreneur and his company have launched a fundraising campaign for a children's cancer charity.

Innovation hub HOST, the Home of Skills and Technology, is launching HOST Social Giving to support Kidscan, a children’s cancer research charity based in Salford.

The staff team from Preston-based IN4 Group - the operator of HOST - will fundraise for Kidscan over the next 12 months and hold quarterly events at its HOST Social venue in MediaCity in Salford.

As a show of solidarity for their fellow workmates observing Ramadan, including the group’s Blackburn chief executive Mo Isap, staff from across the business will be fasting for a day to raise money for the charity.

Head of HOST Social Giving, Laura Cleverley, said: “We’re proud to support Kidscan as our nominated charity and as an organisation, we are committed to fundraising for this fantastic cause throughout the year.

“Kidscan is a brilliant local charity and the perfect fit for us, as they fund innovations into childhood cancer research that improve survival rates and make a real difference.

"This life-changing research helps find new treatments for children with cancer and reduces the lasting damage that is caused by current treatments.”

Kidscan works to actively fund research across the UK to create a world where every child can both survive cancer and go on to live the long healthy lives they deserve.

Currently, only 3.5 per cent of cancer research spend is dedicated to childhood cancer research.

In the last 20 years, only four new treatments have been designed specifically for children in comparison to 190 for adults.

Kidscan trustee, Kelly-Anne Perera, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with HOST Social Giving to raise money to find safe new treatments for children with cancer.

“Sadly, 104 children living in the Salford area will get cancer before the age of 14.

"Twenty per cent will not survive and over 60 per cent of those will go on to develop life-altering disabilities further down the line, because the treatments currently used can cause lasting damage to their growing bodies.

“With links throughout Salford to tech innovators, digital disruptors and creative business leaders, the partnership with HOST provides Kidscan with an exciting opportunity to increase our network, raise the profile of childhood cancer and ultimately continue to fund the vital research we invest in across the UK."