With help and organisation from our charity partner Anna Freud, we invited the D-CYPHR (the DNA, Children + Young people’s Health Resource) ambassadors to a day full of fun and celebration at the Anna Freud Centre in London. We had over 20 ambassadors travel to join us from across the UK including Manchester, Leeds and even had 3 fly over from Belfast!
To kick off the celebrations, we had a photo booth where ambassadors dressed up in D-CYPHR t-shirt's and had a number of fancy dress props to choose from to take fun photos together.
Throughout the day, both young and parent ambassadors fuelled their creative spark and got involved in two arts and crafts activities. The organisation, Crafty Jezebels joined us for an hour long terrazzo workshop that helped the ambassadors create tray, dishes and coaster creations.
After a tasty lunch of freshly baked pizzas, the ambassadors used gems and colourful pens to give D-CYPHR tote bags their own decorative spin, including adding drawings and creating a multicolour version of the D-CYPHR logo.
Presentation and awards ceremony
Our keynote presenter was Professor John Bradley, CBE, Chief Investigator of the BioResource as well as a Consultant Physician and Nephrologist and Director of Research at Cambridge University Hospitals. John discussed the success of D-CYPHR so far and highlighted that without the support from our fantastic ambassadors the progress being made in children's health research wouldn't be possible.
We then had the chance to thank our ambassadors by giving them certificates of appreciation. These were presented by Professor Nathalie Kingston, Director at NIHR BioResource and Research Professor at the University of Cambridge and Dr Anna Moore, D-CYPHR Clinical Lead and Assistant Professor in Child Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge.
Professor Nathalie Kingston, Director of the NIHR BioResource, said:
“It has been an incredible experience and opportunity to work alongside our ambassadors and their families to shape the D-CYPHR programme.
“The award ceremony was a day filled with fun activities, and it was nice to see the ambassadors so engaged and passionate. They can, and will, change the future of health research.”
Afterwards, Nathalie and John held a Q&A session where the ambassadors had the opportunity to ask any questions they had about careers in medicine and how they can support health research further.
Get involved in health research
D-CYPHR, part of the NIHR BioResource and in partnership with the NHS is on a mission explore two key things for our health: our genetics and our environment. Together these can explain why we get sick and what might help.
Families can sign up to D-CYPHR via our website, it's as easy as filling in the health and lifestyle questionnaire and spitting in a tube. Once a young volunteer has joined, they can become an ambassador and help shape the future of the programme by attending events and providing us with feedback.
Take part in children’s health research today and become an ambassador for D-CYPHR. Visit our website for more information.