23-year partnership with Young Lives vs cancer raises £24m

Wetherspoon is celebrating raising £24 million for Young Lives vs Cancer, the company’s chosen charity, supporting children and young people with cancer – and their families.

Since the partnership began in 2002, staff and customers at Wetherspoon’s pubs and head office have completed marathons, cycled thousands of miles, hosted quiz nights, hiked up mountains and so much more.

The annual ‘kick’ and ‘darts’ fundraisers are regular and much anticipated events in the Wetherspoon calendar – raising thousands for children and young people with cancer every year, towards this £24-million milestone.

Wetherspoon’s founder and chairman, Tim Martin, said: “We are immensely proud of our association with Young Lives vs Cancer, which first started in 2002.

“The staff and customers do amazing work in raising money – and we are thrilled that we have reached the £24-million milestone.”

Young Lives vs Cancer’s corporate partnerships lead, Liz Lowrey, said: “Thank you so much to Wetherspoon for raising this amazing amount of money to help young people with cancer.

“The money which Wetherspoon has raised will have supported more than 16,000 children and young people with cancer – from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond. From all of us at Young Lives vs Cancer… thank you.”

The funds continue to assist Young Lives vs Cancer with helping children and young people with cancer and their families – from the moment of diagnosis.

The charity provides financial grants to ease the burden of funding travel to hospital, food and extra clothes. The 10 Homes from Home also offer families a free place to stay near hospitals, keeping family members together when they need one another most.

They have specialist social workers, there to provide the right support, at the right time. They do it all – from liaising with a child’s school and offering parents a shoulder to cry on to helping with navigating the costs of cancer.

One young person who knows better than most how vital these services are is Farid, who was a guest at Wetherspoon for the £24-million-milestone announcement. University student Farid (pictured next to Tim Martin) was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour behind his eye, leaving him unsure where this left him – concerning his sight, his studies, his job and his finances. That’s where Young Lives vs Cancer social worker Mel stepped in to help to bring calm to the chaos.

Farid said: “I had no one who was helping to do that before and was struggling to do it myself – I would have struggled to do the treatment and complete my studies. Mel was fantastic – and I will never forget the help she gave me throughout my treatment.”