Laughter remains the best medicine

Helping to front the appeal is 25-year-old Haroon Abbas, from Newton Mearns, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in November 2011.

Haroon said: “Treatment for cancer can be physically and emotionally exhausting, so having a laugh with your family and friends can make all the difference.

“My social worker Marie was there to reassure me during treatment when things got bad, and when treatment had finished my young persons community worker Tracy stepped in and helped me get my life back on track.”

The campaign calls upon members of the public and big name comedians to donate their jokes to an online hub, on which jokes can be rated, shared and sponsored.

The Joke Appeal has received support from comedy stars such as Tim Vine, Chris Ramsey and Lee Nelson, who have all donated their funniest material in aid of the charity campaign.

Dara de Burca, director of services at CLIC Sargent, said: “We know how important laughter can be in dealing with the challenges that cancer brings.

“It can help lift the spirits when things are tough.”

Donate your joke by tweeting it using the hashtag #JokeAppeal, or by visiting www.thejokeappeal.com and uploading the text, audio or even a film clip.

The appeal runs until August 28, with a different comedian hosting each week and jokes ranked by popularity.