About Us

Factor 50 comprises of a group of people, all brought together by their experiences of Malignant Melanoma.  

Gill Nuttall first attended an appointment at the Christie in March 2007.   "When I first went to the Christie with Jon, it struck me what a lovely place it was.  Everyone there was there for the same reason, they were being treated, diagnosed, recovering etc.   As Jon's treatment progressed, I made up my mind to do something that really mattered and made a difference.   In April 2007, Factor 50 was launched and has now become the focus of all my spare time.   I love the work I do for the malignant melanoma research team.  Our aim is to raise £250,000 and raise awareness of this disease"

Mike Nuttall is heavily involved with Factor 50, through his support of his wife Gill.   Mike said "We were all good friends with Jon and we miss him very much.  I just knew that when Jon passed away, Gill wouldn't take this illness lying down.   I've done the 3 Peaks challenge which was great fun and I'm planning on more physical events in the coming months.  The Christie do a wonderful job and need as much support as they can get" 

Andy Worthington has been friends with the Nuttall family for a while.  Andy's niece Cheryl had a malignant melanoma removed a number of years ago.   Andy decided to get involved with the group and is now a vital member of the team.  "I didn't really need much persuading to get involved.   It was absolutely the right thing for me to do.  Like Mike, I've done the 3 Peaks and am very involved in the events side of things, organising quiz nights, collections etc.  I am very passionate about this charity"

Dr Paul Lorigan, Lecturer in Medical Oncology at the Christie Hospital told us that there was a particular trial that he wanted to bring to the UK, the technology for which is currently only available in the USA. With this in mind we started Factor 50 and we hope that through all our efforts, the melanoma team can develop and evaluate this new treatment for the benefit of all patients with melanoma.  Dr Lorigan insists that keeping the status quo for melanoma treatment is not an option.  We need to learn to prevent it developing in the first instance, prevent it recurring once it has been removed, and treat it effectively if it does recur.