Young Lives vs Cancer - HCSA Charity of the Year 2025

Young Lives vs Cancer are a charity that makes sure children and young people with cancer and their families get the right care and support at the right time.

Every day, 12 children and young people in the UK will hear the devastating news that they have cancer. Treatment normally starts immediately, is often given many miles from home and can last for up to three years.  Although survival rates are over 80%, cancer remains the single largest cause of death from disease in children and young people in the UK.

About Young Lives vs Cancer

When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart. Independence is taken and confidence is stolen. Stability no longer exists. The future suddenly feels uncertain. 

The impact of cancer on young lives is more than medical. And that impact can be felt by entire family. That’s why we exist. Our specialist social workers help children and young people with cancer and their families navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer. 

We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood. 

For more information, visit www.younglivesvscancerorg.uk

Families like Orla

Orla was diagnosed with a brain tumour in September 2022, at just one year old. The family were able to stay in Paul’s House close to the hospital. She finished treatment in April 2023 but unfortunately the cancer returned and within weeks sadly Orla died. Orla’s dad, Adam, tells her story.

“It’s really hard to explain but when you’re going through something as devastating as we were, there’s a lot of things that get broken instantly. One of those things is being together, but having access to Paul’s House fixed that. It took away a lot of pressure, we weren’t just isolated in a hospital room. We could stay at the Home from Home and be a family. It helped Orla’s sisters so much. Orla felt the love and the laughter. She knew she was loved. It’s hard to put into words how much of a difference that makes.”

Making a difference 

Your donations could help cover the cost of a family staying in a Young Lives vs Cancer Home from Home*. For families it’s more than a free place to stay. It’s a welcoming home where families can stay together. It's a good nights sleep away from the sights and sounds of the hospital ward. It's a sense of normality and comfort.

* Our Homes from Home are a free place for families to stay when their child is going through cancer treatment.  They're close to principal treatment centres, helping families avoid the extra financial burdens of travel, accommodation and food costs.  They also allow young cancer patients to be close to their loved ones, keeping the family together at a difficult time.  https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/what-we-do/a-free-place-to-stay/

In 2024 you raised £10,000 :

£60 could pay for a night in one of our Homes from Home. They are close to hospitals and mean that families can stay together.
£208 could fund a day's work for one of our specialist social workers. This could enable them to be a listening ear for a young person who is scared, help complete complicated forms to access benefits, speak with a school on behalf of a family or help make plans to defer a university place
£100 could pay for a registration grant in the days following the news of a diagnosis. This could fund travel to hospital for lifesaving treatment.
£290 could fund a financial hardship grant when a family’s income has dropped as a parent has had to stop work, yet the bills keep on coming.
We couldn’t do this without your support – it makes a big difference.

Initiatives for 2025

We will be at all the conferences again this year.  Ahead of that 2025 is the year we’d love to encourage you all to get involved outside of the conference series with fellow members and your work colleagues.  To join in and have some fun:  team building and fundraising together for Young Lives vs Cancer.

Liz is your primary contact and if you would like to have a chat about other ways you can support Young Lives vs Cancer as HCSA Members, during 2025 please do reach out to Liz.Blunt@younglivesvscancer.org.uk - Tel: 07944696858

Charity of the Year 2026

Do you have a personal attachment to a national Charity? Could you be a named lead and take ownership of the partnership for the year?

Applications are now open for the HCSA Charity of the Year 2026 - contact the Business Support Team via admin@nhsprocurement.org.uk for more information, including Guidelines and Application Form.  Deadline for applications - Noon on Friday 12th September 2025.

[NB: Applications can be submitted by any HCSA member but need to have the support of a regional National Council representative (maximum of 2 applications per region per year)].