York Against Cancer General Leaflet

We’ll get through this together

Did you know...

We were established in 1987 by colleagues Professor Steve Leveson, fellow surgeon John Craven and Dr Colin Garner.

Since 1992 we have funded the Jack Birch Unit in the Biology department at the University of York where nationally and internationally acclaimed cancer research is undertaken.

Since 2009 we have provided thousands of free sun hats to 83 primary schools in York as a part of our annual sun awareness campaign.

Since 2009 we have transported radiotherapy patients to St James Hospital in Leeds free of charge in our minibus, covering over 16,000 miles a year.

In 2016 we granted £35,000 to a consultant gastroenterologist at York Hospital to identify those most at risk of bowel cancer.

In 2017 we funded the £700,000 mobile chemotherapy unit which has helped provide hundreds of extra patient treatments across areas in North and East Yorkshire.

Since 2013 we have provided cancer patients and their families with a free short stay at our seaside holiday home.

100% of the profit made from sales made in either of our two gift shops contributes to the work of the charity.

In 2019 we donated £100,000 to the York Plasma Institute which is working to prevent and treat prostate cancer.

In 2022 we donated £680,000 to fund a world-leading surgical robot at York Hospital

In 2023 we opened a holiday home in Yapham for couples affected by cancer to stay in free of charge.

In 2023 we opened The Leveson Centre, a cancer support centre offering holistic services to patients and their friends and families.

York Against Cancer is an independent, local charity providing practical help and support for patients and their families living with cancer across York, North and East Yorkshire.

Established in 1987 by three colleagues, Professor Steve Leveson, Colin Garner and John Craven, York Against Cancer was created to help raise funds in order to improve support and research into cancer in the local area.

Over the past 36 years we have raised over £20 million which has been invested into funding a range of initiatives and services, from funding world-leading research at the Jack Birch Unit in York, to offering cancer patients free transport to treatments and respite breaks with their families, to name a few.

As a charity, we continue to grow and develop our services all thanks to the ongoing support we receive from local donors, individuals, businesses and groups.

CEO Julie Russell, Head of Retail Jill Hutchinson and volunteers at the York Against Cancer Awareness Day.

“The minibus service is amazing and very much appreciated!”

Margaret

“Thank you so much for allowing us to stay in your lovely repite house in Filey. It gave me a much needed break - a real home from home”

Angela

“Thank you so much for all your help during my treatment!”

Derek

Care and Support

We provide care to those affected by cancer in many different ways.

The Leveson Centre

We have a brand new Cancer Support Centre at York Community Stadium, offering cancer patients, their families and friends complementary therapies and holistic support. The Leveson Centre offers a welcoming and relaxing space away from the more clinical areas of the hospital, with more services on the way. Whether you just pop in for a coffee and a chat or take part in one of our timetabled services, everyone is welcome.

Minibus service to St James’s Hospital, Leeds

Our free minibus service takes cancer patients from their home in York and the surrounding areas to St James’s Hospital in Leeds for their radiotherapy treatment. We recognise that making the journey to Leeds is not always easy as there are often worries about parking, or having someone to accompany you. Our minibus service aims to take all of this worry away and make the journey to the hospital a pleasant one.

Respite breaks

We have a seaside holiday home in Filey which can be used by cancer patients and their loved ones for a three or four night stay. We also have a cosy cottage in Yapham for couples affected by cancer to stay in and enjoy the tranquil atmosphere of the countryside. Whether you have just been diagnosed, are in the midst of, or have just finished treatment, these homes are available free of charge.

Exercise classes

If you are from York or the surrounding area and are living with, or beyond cancer, you are eligible for specialist exercise sessions to help encourage a healthy lifestyle. We will fund the first five of these sessions to help maintain your wellbeing,

If you would like more information about any of our services please call us on 01904 764466.

Cancer Awareness and Education

Providing better awareness and education about cancer to more people was one of the main reasons York Against Cancer was founded.

We encourage people to attend all cancer screenings available to them. In the UK, the NHS offers 3 national cancer screening programmes: bowel cancer, breast cancer and cervical cancer. These screenings look for early signs of cancer in people without any symptoms, allowing cancers to be found at an early stage, or even help prevent it.

We are also determined to teach all ages about cancer and work closely with many local doctor’s surgeries, groups and schools to help spread awareness of cancer.

We visit primary schools to raise awareness about the risks of too much sun, providing all children with a free sun hat as part of our Sunsmart campaign.

Our Shops

We have two shops located in York Community Stadium and York Hospital. Each shop is staffed by generous volunteers and sell an assortment of beautiful cards and gifts.

All proceeds go towards York Against Cancer to provide the best support we can to cancer patients and their families.

Mobile Chemotherapy Unit

In 2017, York Against Cancer was proud to launch Yorkshire’s first mobile chemotherapy unit.

Travelling to receive cancer treatment can be time consuming and add unwanted stress to an already unwelcome situation. This £700,000 mobile treatment centre caters to those living on the outskirts of York and Scarborough to cut down on travel time and provide them with quick, effective treatment accompanied by tea and coffee from the friendly NHS team.

The unit provides the same standard of care as your local hospital, staffed by two trained nurses and a healthcare assistant each day. Treatments are carefully risk assessed to be suitable in a mobile environment, and the unit is well equipped to manage any issues that could arise. The unit was custom-built with the assistance of clinical, transport, estates and facilities, IT and infection prevention teams.

In its first year and a half, the unit saw more than 1,500 visits, with some patients visiting more than 20 times.

Ground breaking cancer research

Cancer research has always been at the heart of our work, and we have been supporting scientists at the University of York since our earliest days. In fact, our first project was funded in 1988, just a year after we first began.

We now support the Jack Birch Unit based within the Biology department at the university by part-funding the Director’s salary and paying for laboratory support as part of a five-year renewable programme.

We have also been able to support the purchase of some very specialised pieces of equipment for the laboratory and supported the full costs of several specific research projects including a two-year research project on bladder cancer as well as contributing £100,000 towards prostate cancer research by Professor Norman Maitland.

We have also funded research conducted by specialists at York Hospital, such as work by Dr James Turvill, a consultant gastroenterologist, into a possible test to identify people at risk from developing bowel cancer.

Surgical Robot

York Against Cancer made a £680,000 donation to fund a brand new robotic surgical system: the da Vinci Surgical System at York Hospital.

This innovative technology enables surgeons to perform delicate and complex operations through a few small incisions. It is less invasive than open surgey and allows more precision in difficult to access areas than traditional key-hole surgery.

The surgical robot is designed to translate the surgeon’s hand movements at the console in real time, moving like a human hand but with a greater range of motion and precision. Combined with a significantly magnified view it will make difficult operations much easier, allow an earlier return to function for patients with hopefully better outcomes in both cancer and benign disease.

“Much cancer research starts with examining the tumours, whereas our research starts with normal human cells and tissues. It’s rather like studying a runaway car - how could you find out if brakes have failed if you did not know how a car works in the first place?”

Professor Jenny Southgate, Jack Birch Unit Director

Get involved! Volunteer

Our volunteers are the driving force behind the success of York Against Cancer. They are critical to helping us raise the funds necessary for us to fulfil our work.

We have a fantastic group of people who come along and help with lots of our day-to-day work. They lend a hand with events from coffee mornings to our annual golf day, and they play an especially important role in assisting us with admin support in our office and looking after our shops; both at the York Community Stadium in Huntington and at York Hospital.

We are one big team, all with the same aim in mind - to raise money which will be spent in the local area on providing important cancer services to local people.

Please come along to meet new people and be a vital part of our team.

Fundraising

York Against Cancer organises many fun and varied fundraising events including races, balls and concerts. Upcoming events can be found on our website www.yorkagainstcancer.org.uk

Many events are organised by individuals, groups, organisations and schools on behalf of the charity, such as sponsored walks, runs and swims.

If you are interested in holding your own event, we will be happy to support you by printing posters, tickets and by sending along a representative from the charity on the day. Thank you!