Our charity partners
We partner with other charities who share our mission of supporting children and young people with cancer and their families. Click the links below to find out more about our partners and see how they can support you.
If you're being supported by Young Lives vs Cancer, we can help you navigate through the different partners we have and signpost you to other organisations and charities that can offer support.
Alike exists to take the loneliness out of cancer. They’ve created the digital cancer community, a free peer support app removes barriers of geography, cost, and confidence. Available 24/7 on any smartphone, it connects people across the UK based on shared experiences such as diagnosis type, age, identity, cancer stage, treatment type, or location.
Black Women Rising is the award-winning programme from UK-registered charity The Leanne Pero Foundation. They support women of colour through every step of their cancer diagnosis and support efforts to educate, raise awareness, and influence policy that aims to provide equitable and accessible cancer care for women of colour in the UK.
Under their three charity pillars (core services, resource centre and creative programme), Black Women Rising offers a range of culturally sensitive support, advice and educational initiatives centred around the needs of its community.
Care for the Family offers practical and emotional support to families in various situations, such as marriage, parenting, single parenting and bereavement. They have specific support for bereaved parents, bereaved adult siblings and bereaved partners which includes befriending, online support days and in-person events. They want to help those who are living with loss to discover hope for the future, and the strength to rebuild their lives and the lives of their families.
Dragonfly Cancer Trust is a national charity supporting children and young people with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis, from birth to 25 years, and their families. They focus on memory making, providing cash gifts, memory and sibling boxes, activity boxes and personalised keepsakes. Their support helps families make the most of every moment together and creates treasured memories that bring comfort when time is short.
For ages 8-24
The Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust inspires young people aged 8-24 to believe in a brighter future through sailing and outdoor activity. For many young people, picking up from where they left off before cancer is not possible – when treatment ends, the Trust’s work begins.
Through the Trust’s sailing and outdoor adventures, young people have fun, gain a new sense of purpose and self-worth, rediscover independence, and feel optimism for the future. They realise what they are capable of again – physically, mentally, and socially – and stop feeling like ‘the only one’. They start to re-establish their place in the world and can believe in a brighter future.
Family Fund is the UK’s largest charitable provider of grants & services for families raising a disabled or seriously ill child or young person on a low income, up to the age of 24. Grants are available for any item the family needs to help meet a child or young person’s support needs, including kitchen applicances, furniture, computers and tablets, play and sensory equipment, clothing, bedding and family breaks. They provide a wide range of digital and online support services for families.
Henry Dancer Days was set up in memory of 12-year-old Henry Dancer, who lost his life to Osteosarcoma. They help in 2 ways: By offering Hardship Support to families who have a child (18 and under) with Primary Bone Cancer; and by
delivering fun distraction projects in 9 hospitals from Aberdeen to London and Birmingham through Storytelling and Pottery projects.
Leukaemia Care is a UK charity supporting anyone affected by leukaemia, MDS, and MPNs, including patients, families, and carers. They provide trusted information, emotional support, and practical guidance from diagnosis and throughout treatment. Their services include a free nurse-led helpline, access to private counselling, support groups, welfare and advocacy services, and specialist information about treatments and living with leukaemia. They also raise awareness of the signs and symptoms to help people get diagnosed earlier, so that no one has to face a leukaemia diagnosis alone.
Macmillan Cancer Support provides services for people living with cancer at every stage of their cancer experience. Providing emotional, practical, physical, and financial support. We raise money to provide vital cancer services, research and campaign to achieve better cancer care, and support the cancer workforce.
At Macmillan, we run public campaigns, build partnerships, and influence decision-makers on all cancer-related policies at UK-wide, national, and local levels.
Macmillan understands the numbers, needs and experiences of people living with cancer, and continues to provide services and advocacy where they are needed most.
Make-A-Wish UK is dedicated to creating life‑changing wishes for children and young people in the UK who are living with critical or life‑threatening illnesses. The charity’s mission is to bring joy, hope, and magical memories to children whose childhoods have been disrupted by serious illness. Wishes provide emotional respite for children and their families during challenging times and are designed to revive the childhood that critical illness often takes away, providing positive experiences, and lasting emotional impact.
Children aged 3 to 17, living in the UK and diagnosed with a life‑threatening condition, may be eligible for a wish.
Mercy’s Mighty Foundation was founded in loving memory of six-year-old Mercy Cuthbertson, who devastatingly lost her life to an incurable DIPG brain tumour in 2024.
In Mercy’s honour, they send thoughtfully created craft boxes to children undergoing treatment for paediatric brain tumours and cancer. At a time that is unimaginable for most families, their aim is simple: to bring moments of joy, creativity, comfort and gentle distraction during the hardest of days.
Through small acts of kindness, they hope to continue Mercy’s legacy and make a meaningful difference to children facing the toughest battles.
Merlin’s Magic Wand is a charity dedicated to creating magical experiences for children facing illness, disability or adversity. Through their Magical Days Out programme, they offer children and their loved ones an unforgettable visit to a Merlin attraction – filled with joy, play and precious memories. Applications for Magical Days Out can only be made through approved charity partners. To find out more and to apply, please speak with your Young Lives vs Cancer team.
Migrant Help exists to protect people affected by displacement and exploitation, helping them thrive as individuals and recover from their trauma. They support those most in need and least likely to find support elsewhere, whilst aiming to bridge community gaps and bring services and support together.
Muslim Bereavement Support Service (MBSS) is a national charity that provides bereavement support to women (aged 18+) from the Muslim community through befriending, religious guidance, practical support and written resources.
The religious guidance is provided in accordance with the Qur’an and Ahadeeth, with advice on prayers and other religious aspects, but support is also offered with practical steps following the death of a loved one. Female volunteers can provide face-to-face or telephone support in multiple languages on a one-to-one basis or in small group sessions. MBSS also organises events such as bereavement walks, art therapy workshops and family sport sessions.
OUTpatients is a national charity specialising in supporting people from the LGBTQIA+ community affected by cancer. They work to help patients, survivors, partners and caregivers feel welcome and supported in cancer services. Their mission is to transform cancer care into a more inclusive environment with peer support, education, and bespoke resources.
Safeena Muslim Cancer Support is the UK’s first national Muslim cancer support charity, open to anyone and supporting adult men and women affected by cancer. They provide culturally and faith-sensitive support to individuals and families who may face barriers accessing mainstream services. Their free services include one-to-one befriending, emotional support, and educational resources to help people better understand their diagnosis, treatment, and care options. Safeena works to reduce isolation, improve access to information, and ensure underserved communities are represented in cancer support services.
Sibs exists to support people who grow up with or have grown up with a disabled brother or sister. It is the only UK charity representing the needs of over half a million young siblings and over one and a half million adult siblings. Support includes; information about disabilities or conditions; school resources; news and top tips; online and face to face adult sibling support groups; events such as workshops and training; adult sibling guides; and sibling stories and eBooks.
For age 20+
Shine is the only UK charity that support adults in their 20s, 30s and 40s who have experienced a cancer diagnosis. Shine’s mission is to help every adult in their 20s, 30s and 40s deal with everything that their diagnosis brings, before, during and after treatment, and to welcome them into their community.
SimpleStudy is an exam revision app designed to help students improve their results through pre-made revision resources and AI-powered study tools. In the UK, Simple Study supports students preparing for GCSEs and A Levels with specification-aligned study notes, quizzes, flashcards and past exam-style questions in an accessible and easy-to-use format. Their goal is to reduce stress, build confidence and support young people in achieving their academic potential, particularly those who may face additional challenges in their education journey.
SLOW exists to support families after the devastating death of a child. Their peer-to-peer support groups are led by expertly trained facilitators who bring their own lived experience of loss. They offer regular support groups for parents and siblings, both in person (across London) and online, ensuring families can access support in the way that feels right for them. In addition, they run monthly creative workshops for bereaved siblings aged 7–18, providing a safe and supportive space for young people to express themselves and connect with others who understand their experience.
For ages 0-24
Supershoes is a registered charity that provides unique customised gifts for children and young people who are receiving treatment or palliative care for a cancer diagnosis in the UK. The gifts provided are hand-painted, customised Converse trainers. These gifts:
- promote wellbeing
- encourage mobility
- remind the child of who they are and the things that they love
- make the child feel special and strong and help to restore their confidence.
For ages 13-24
Teenage Cancer Trust’s care and support is life-saving in more ways than one. As well as providing the very best clinical care, they do everything they can to make sure cancer doesn’t stop young people living their lives, during treatment and beyond. Because that’s what getting through cancer looks like.
For ages 13-24
Teens Unite Fighting Cancer supports teenagers and young adults, aged 13-24, who are overcoming cancer and the ongoing challenges it brings. However long it’s been since you were diagnosed, Teens Unite will support you through free activities and stays away from home, where you can meet others your age in a similar situation who understand what you’re going through.
The Aplastic Anaemia Trust is the only charity in the UK focused on aplastic anaemia, a rare life-threatening auto-immune disease that stops the bone marrow from producing blood. They fund research to improve treatment, provide expert information, and work tirelessly, at grassroots level, to support every aplastic anaemia patient and their loved ones.
The Compassionate Friends is a national peer support charity for bereaved parents and adult bereaved siblings (aged 18+) offering support after the death of a child, from one month old up to an adult child and from any cause. Their support is facilitated by bereaved parent or adult sibling volunteers. They also offer one to one telephone support to bereaved grandparents, local in person support groups, 1:1 local support contacts and occasional support days, weekend retreats and facilitated walks. They have a postal grief library, private, moderated Facebook Groups for loss in all and specific circumstances and online sharing sessions for loss in specific circumstances.
The Ella Dawson Foundation works alongside a team of experts to enable young adults, aged 18-30 yrs old, and their families and carers access tailored wellbeing support packages unique to their needs at any stage of their cancer diagnosis within a safe, supporting and likeminded community.
Feel well – access to clinical psychology, counselling, breathe and relax sessions and mindfulness/gratitude journal
Eat well – 1-2-1 consultations, group nutrition programme, diet and cancer information, recipes, food and cancer booklet
Move well – 1-2-1 exercise and movement programmes, online and in-person yoga, movement diary and online resources
Live well – living well grant, in-person events, wellbeing days and breaks away
Siblings and family members can also access some of these services including counselling, yoga.
The Joshua Tree is a community dedicated to supporting families affected by childhood cancers. They recognise that a cancer diagnosis turns life upside down, not just for the child, but for the entire family. The emotional, physical, and practical challenges can feel overwhelming. That’s why they’re here to walk alongside families at every stage of their journey, from diagnosis through treatment and far beyond. They offer tailored support that wraps around the whole family, children, parents, siblings, grandparents, and carers. Whether that’s emotional support, counselling, Play Therapy, holistic therapies, educational advocacy, or wellbeing programmes, they respond to the needs of each family as they change over time as they go through their journey.
The New Normal provides free non-judgemental peer support for adults facing life’s difficult moments, particularly bereavement. The Charity was founded by friends who had bonded over the death of their fathers, who wanted to share and expand their conversations around grief with others experiencing loss. Peer-to-peer support is a model that TNN has proudly embraced since its inception. They believe the best therapy is talking with others with similar life experiences. With peer groups for diverse communities including global majority, LGBTQ+, complicated loss, partner loss and more.
The Unbeatable Eva Foundation was founded in 2021, in memory of Eva Williams, who lost her life to DIPG at 10 years old. DIPG is a rare form of brain tumour which today has no cure and no effective treatment, and as a highly aggressive condition, the average life expectancy post-diagnosis is less than 10 months. Although no parent should be told to ‘go home and make memories’, we exist to try to support families in doing this. Through our support programme, The Unbeatable Eva Foundation funds gifts, experiences, and memories, for children with DIPG / DMG, as well as their siblings, in the hope that we can put a smile on their faces in the most difficult of times.
Seriously ill children and their families deserve the chance to live a full life, supported by care that enables them to thrive. But for many, it’s a lonely experience. That’s why Together for Short Lives is here: to make sure no one has to face their child’s short life – and death – alone. Together, they support families through difficult times, offering practical, emotional and financial help. Together, they unite the sector, helping professionals pool their knowledge and expertise to deliver outstanding children’s palliative care. Together, they campaign to ensure families get the support they need.
For age 20+
Trekstock is the UK’s only charity providing physical and mental wellbeing services for those in their 20s or 30s diagnosed with, living with and surviving any type of cancer.
Trekstock’s support includes the RENEW Exercise Programme, Lifting the Lid event series (exploring topics such as sex, friendship and mental health), Navigating Menopause Programme, in-person meet-ups and much, much more.
Willow is dedicated to helping young adults aged 16 to 40 take much needed time out from the reality of living with serious illness, creating magical moments that become lasting memories. From treat boxes filled with gifts to experiences at home, fun packed days out and quiet breaks away from it all, they offer young adults living with a serious illness the chance to spend precious time with family or fulfil a lifelong dream.
For professionals
The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association is a leading children’s cancer charity and the UK and Ireland’s professional association for those involved in the treatment and care of children with cancer.
Over the last 40 years, The Children & Young People’s Cancer Association has played a key role in the major improvements in survival rates and the standards of care for children so that over 80% of children are now cured. They are the central hub for childhood cancer through the specialist expertise of our members.
TYAC are a specialist network of professionals who treat and care for teenagers and young adults with cancer.
TYAC’s strength lies in the knowledge and understanding that teenagers and young adults have different and specific needs to children and older adults, and require age-appropriate care.
They are working hard to break down barriers and fight for change for all teenagers and young adults with cancer.