Red Nose Day is back with a new story to tell

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This Red Nose Day appeal, New Zealanders are encouraged help Cure Kids deliver its mission to fund "big research for little lives" through downloading a delightful children's story.

Dating back to 1989, the iconic Red Nose Day holds significance in the minds of New Zealanders, but this year Cure Kids has made its flagship fundraiser even more engaging for adults and children alike with the launch of Back Home to You, A Red Nose Fable.

The interactive storybook app written and illustrated by Raymond McGrath, is a fantastical adventure where red noses are an imaginative representation of the hope that research funded by Cure Kids provides to children in New Zealand living with life-impacting illnesses.

Cure Kids CEO, Frances Benge says for this year's campaign they wanted a fresh approach to engage Aotearoa with Red Nose Day, and to focus the campaign around precious moments with loved ones. The story, as explored on the app is something for families and children to delight in.

"We are excited to launch this as part of our Red Nose Day campaign, a first for Cure Kids. We know people love to help but life is busy and time with our whānau is precious. That's why this Red Nose Appeal, we've created a magical storybook app that allows New Zealanders to help Cure Kids raise funds, while enjoying a precious moment with their tamariki."

"Raymond's book is an imaginative way of bringing to life how Cure Kids funded research brings hope to tamariki across New Zealand. We love this story and want to share it far and wide," says Benge.

This year's fundraising target has been set at $1.2million dollars. The funds raised enable research for children in New Zealand affected by cancer, inherited heart conditions, epilepsy, infectious diseases, cystic fibrosis, sudden unexpected death in infants (SUDI), stillbirth, burns as well as child and adolescent mental health – and many other areas.

The storybook app was created by Kiwa Digital and is available for both Android and Apple users and includes both English and Te Reo Māori translations by the well-known voices of Toni Street and Stacey Morrison. Plus, as a story for kids, 11year old Cure Kids ambassador, Eva, also narrates a version of the story.

This app is interactive, educational and loaded with features like Swipe-to-Read™ so kids can highlight and play back the story at their own pace, Touch-to-Hear™ to have individual words spoken, and Touch-to-Spell™ to hear the letters that spell each word. To quote Eva "It's cool. The special red nose just grew a story!"

Cure Kids is the largest funder of child health research outside the government. Cure Kids works to support the most effective research possible to make a measurable difference to the health and

well-being of New Zealand children. This is made possible by the continued generosity of individuals, businesses and community groups across the country.

This September all New Zealanders are encouraged help Cure Kids deliver on their mission to fund "big research for little lives". Discover the app, download the storybook, and through doing so make a difference with your donation.

Download, discover, donate here