20 years in partnership with TK Maxx: How a dress celebrates £50m raised for vital cancer research

Almost two million bags of clothing have contributed to the staggering £50m raised by TK Maxx to support our research into children’s and young people’s cancers, and inspired the stunning dress Naomie Harris is modelling to mark the milestone. 

TK Maxx has been directly supporting our work for the past 20 years and is our biggest corporate supporter of research into children’s and young people’s cancers.

Now, Harris – Miss Moneypenny from the James Bond films – is stepping into a one-of-a-kind dress made of 50 layers of clothes donated to TK Maxx’s Give Up Clothes for Good campaign, the fundraising powerhouse at the centre of our partnership.

The dress, by celebrity costume designer Kate Tabor, highlights the impact of every single donation to Give Up Clothes for Good and celebrates the achievements they’ve helped us make so far. Its vivid hues also combine the colours of TK Maxx and Cancer Research UK.

“By supporting our work for 20 years, TK Maxx have helped us ensure we can commit to the long-term funding that’s essential to see progress for children and young people affected by cancer,” said Dr Laura Danielson, our Research Lead for Children’s and Young People’s Cancers. “The impact of this work has been incredible and reaches across the world.”

Naomie Harris is modelling celebrity costume-designer Kate Tabor's dress which is made from fifty layers of jeans dyed pink, with a tight bodice and a flowing train. — Naomie Harris in celebrity costume-designer Kate Tabor's dress, which was made from donations to the Give Up Clothes for Good campaign. Photo credit: Jason Bell.

How TK Maxx supports our work on children’s and young people’s cancers

TK Maxx first committed to focus on raising funds for our research into children’s and young people’s cancers in 2008. Since then, staff and customers have supported some remarkable projects, including the launch of the Cancer Research UK Children’s Brain Tumour Centre of Excellence.

By bringing together researchers with the drive, determination and expertise to make a difference, the centre is transforming how the world develops treatments for children affected by brain tumours.

Professor Richard Gilbertson, co-director of the Centre, said: “The UK needed a central hub for children’s brain tumour researchers to come together. The centre has now become a beacon for the UK, opening doors on the international scene. TK Maxx should be really proud that they’ve made this contribution.”

In 2021, TK Maxx also started supporting the work of Professor Sir Mel Greaves, who has spent decades uncovering the causes of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), the most common type of cancer affecting children.

In 2024, Sir Mel and his team at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) discovered that the diversity of a child’s microbiome can play an important role in the development of ALL. Now, they’re investigating ways of preventing some types of leukaemia in children.

Sir Mel said: “A five-year programme of funding from Cancer Research UK and their supporters including TK Maxx has been crucial for carrying out all the new groundwork and pilot studies necessary to shape a plausible preventative strategy for childhood leukaemia. Prevention, if possible, would be better than cure.”

The children and young people who benefit

TK Maxx’s continued support has also helped power a range of clinical trials that are already helping more children and young people survive cancer with fewer side effects.

In 2018, the results of our SIOPEL-6 trial showed we can use a drug called sodium thiosulfate to protect the hearing of babies, children and young people undergoing cancer treatment. The drug can almost half the risk of hearing loss as a side effect of the platinum-based chemotherapy drug cisplatin.

Luke, who took part in the trial as a baby, went on to become one of the faces of the Give Up Clothes for Good Campaign and is currently appearing on a billboard to thank TK Maxx for their support.

Luke’s story

Luke was only six months old when he was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma, a type of liver cancer which primarily affects children under the age of two.

His mum Claire had found a lump while changing his nappy, and after consulting the health visitor and GP, she took him to A&E. Scans there showed he had a 10cm tumour. Luke began treatment on Boxing Day and joined SIOPEL-6 the day after.

“Luke started with four rounds of fortnightly chemotherapy, followed by a seven-hour operation and more chemotherapy,” says Claire.

“If he had suffered hearing loss at that age, it would have had a huge impact on his long-term quality of life. We didn’t hesitate to take part in the trial, for Luke and for other children in the future.

“We felt we were well looked after on the trial, and Luke had lots of extra hearing checks. The outcome has been as hoped. A recent hearing check confirmed he has normal hearing in both ears.

“His treatment finished in April 2008. He’s 17 now, so he has just had his last check-up at GOSH and will now be looked after by the team at University College London.

“He loves gymnastics now and competes nationally – he was in the British Championships in Liverpool in March 2025.”

Luke is also one of the more than 8,000 children and young people whose bravery has been recognised in the Cancer Research UK Star Awards, which are run in partnership with TK Maxx.

A composite image of Luke in hospital during his cancer treatment and more recently doing gymnastics.

Thanks to the success of the SIOPEL-6 trial, sodium thiosulfate is now used to protect children and teenagers receiving cisplatin chemotherapy for solid tumours through the NHS in England and Wales.

The lasting impact of long-term support

Since 2008, TK Maxx’s support has helped us launch over 260 research projects into cancers affecting 0 to 24-year-olds and meant that more than 12,900 children and young people have been able to take part in our clinical trials.

And, while each individual step forward is worth celebrating, it’s the long-term commitment that makes the biggest difference.

“It’s the continuous evolution of research that’s important,” said Dr Pamela Kearns, Director of the Cancer Research UK Clinical Trials Unit from 2012 to 2023. “Every laboratory finding that we make, we need to verify before embarking on the journey to translate what’s discovered in the laboratory to something useful for people affected by cancer. This can be 10 to 20 years of more research.

“TK Maxx has supported us for such a long time. It’s so important, to have people that are committed to going in for the long run, thank you.”