Charity of the Year – 2025
President Coralie McKeivor is delighted to announce the 2025 Charity of the Year will be YOUNG LIVES Vs CANCER
When a child or young person is diagnosed with cancer, their whole world can feel like it’s falling apart.
Playtime is stopped. Independence is taken. Confidence is stolen. It can result in years of education missed, careers put on hold just as they’re starting. It’s spending days desperately trying to navigate complex systems just to get basic support. It’s missing out on experiences and not getting the chance to enjoy new relationships. It’s watching countless opportunities pass by as debt begins to pile up.
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.
Young Lives vs Cancer is the only charity in the UK with specialist social workers who provide tailored support to children and young people with cancer, and their families.
We help them to navigate the emotional and practical impact of cancer. We remove barriers, solve problems and prioritise wellbeing. We take the time to understand what matters most to them. And we stop at nothing to make their voices heard and their unique needs understood, so they can get the right care and support at the right time.
Our local impact in Bristol
In 2023/24, in Bristol, Young Lives vs Cancer’s Specialist Social Workers supported 49 families facing a devastating cancer diagnosis.
The Young Lives vs Cancer Bristol Specialist Social Work Team are based out of the Bristol Children’s Hospital and the Bristol Royal Infirmary however they support service user families across the whole of the South West.
The total number of families our Bristol Specialist Social Work Team have supported across the South West which includes Glos, Wilts, Bath, Devon, Cornwall, Bristol and Somerset is 495 families.
Our Specialist Social Workers act as a crucial support system for our service users families and are there as a hand to hold from the minute a family gets told their child has cancer. Our Specialist Social Workers provide emotional and practical support including financial support guidance and assistance to help to relieve families of any extra stress that comes with a cancer diagnosis.
In addition, during 2023/24, our local support included payment of 29 grants to Bristol based families equalling £5,020. Our financial grants are designed to relieve families of extra financial pressure that we know is associated with a cancer diagnosis and includes financial hardship grants, registration grants, compassionate grants and crisis grants.
Young Lives vs Cancer also have 10 Homes from Home across the UK, close to principle treatment centres, to prevent families having to frequently drive long distances for treatment. Two of our Homes from Home are based in Bristol which are Sam’s House and CLIC House and they have accommodated families from all over the South West as well as across the UK.
Homes from Home are free of charge and offer families a safe sanctuary, a place to rest and relax, away from the sounds and smells of the hospital for the entire time the child or young person is on treatment.
At CLIC House the total number of family stays in 2023/24 was 155 with an average length stay of 27 nights and Sam’s House accommodated 89 families for an average length of stay of 53 nights. Historically the longest stay we have had at our Bristol Homes from Home was at Sam’s House and this was for 277 nights.
These services wouldn’t be possible without support like yours. Your support helps us to ensure that we can provide the best services possible to children and young people with cancer, and their families, when they need it and for as long as they need it.
For more information on how to get involved with our sports fundraising events please click on the link below.
Events - Young Lives vs Cancer