York Against Cancer
York Against Cancer is a local charity helping people in York, North and East Yorkshire affected by cancer. We provide a range of support services for cancer patients and their loved ones, including a free minibus that takes people from York to St. James’s Hospital in Leeds for radiotherapy appointments, free short breaks in our two luxury respite properties to help people recuperate from cancer treatment, an award-winning Mobile Chemotherapy Unit, free, tailored exercise classes for cancer patients and our cancer support centre, The Leveson Centre.
We also fund pioneering research at the Jack Birch Unit at the University of York, which has been internationally recognised for its groundbreaking research into bladder cancer. Since starting in 1987, the charity has raised over £20 million to support people in York and across the region. Our aims today are the same as they were when the charity was founded - to support as many people affected by cancer as possible.
Our story
We were established in 1987 by colleagues Professor Steve Leveson, fellow surgeon Mr John Craven and Professor 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 2008, we have transported radiotherapy patients to St James’s Hospital in Leeds free of charge in our minibus, covering over 16,000 miles a year.
Since 2009, we have provided thousands of free sun hats to primary schools across York as part of our sun awareness campaigns.
In 2010, we opened our gift shop at York Hospital, later followed by our York Stadium shop in 2021. 100% of the profit from sales made in either of our two gift shops goes into the charity to help support our work.
In 2016, we granted £35,000 to a consultant gastroenterologist at York Hospital to identify those most at risk of bowel cancer.
Since 2017, we have provided cancer patients and their families with a free short stay at our seaside holiday home in Filey.
In 2017, we funded a £700,000 Mobile Chemotherapy Unit which has helped to provide hundreds of patient treatments across areas in North and East Yorkshire.
In 2019, we donated £100,000 to the York Plasma Institute to help its work to prevent and treat prostate cancer.
In 2022, we donated £680,000 to fund a worldleading surgical robot at York Hospital to aid with intricate surgeries and improve recovery time.
In 2023, we started to provide 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 support services to patients, their friends and their families.
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The Leveso
“Thank you so much for allowing us to stay in your lovely respite house in Filey. It gave me a much needed break - a real homefrom-home.”
Angela
“Thank you for making my cancer treatment at Leeds so much easier. It removed all the worry of getting there on time.”
Tom
“The Leveson Centre has been a god send. It’s just so relaxing and there’s so much on offer.”
Paul
Care and support
We provide a range of support services for cancer patients and their loved ones in York, North and East Yorkshire.
Minibus service to St James’s Hospital, Leeds
Our free minibus service takes cancer patients from their homes in York and the surrounding areas to St James’s Hospital, Leeds, for their radiotherapy treatment. We understand how sorting out transport to hospital appointments can be difficult. There may be worries about fuel and parking costs, or having someone to accompany you. Our minibus service aims to take all of this stress and worry away and make the journey to the hospital a pleasant one.
Respite breaks
Cancer patients under the care of the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust can enjoy a 3-to-4-night seaside getaway or a countryside escape at our relaxing respite properties for cancer patients and their loved ones, completely free of charge. Choose between our stunning family home in Filey or our beautiful couple’s cottage in Yapham.
Exercise classes
If you are from York or the surrounding area and are living with or beyond cancer, you can sign up for our 5 free exercise classes. These sessions are led by a specialist dedicated to improving your fitness and wellbeing in a safe, controlled environment, with a programme that’s tailored to suit you.
If an exercise class isn’t for you, we also fund outdoor Nordic Walking sessions for breast cancer patients to get fit and find a community following diagnosis and treatment, helping to reduce cancer fatigue, reduce lymphoedema risk, improve bone density and more.
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 unit caters to those living on the outskirts of York and Scarborough to cut down on travel time and provide you with effective treatment, much closer to home.
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The Leveson Centre
Our cancer support centre, The Leveson Centre, is located at York Community Stadium and offers a range of support services for anyone who has been affected by cancer. We provide one-to-one resources for individuals, and also act as a welcoming community hub for cancer patients and their loved ones to pop in and get involved in various wellbeing activities.
Arts and crafts workshop
Our services include:
Adolescent psychological support Information and guidance
Wellbeing choir
Coffee morning
port at The LevesonCe
Benefits and welfare advice Complementary therapy
Yoga and Pilates classes
And more!
Find out more or sign up to our services by visiting www.thelevesoncentre.org.uk, calling 01904 202647 or emailing support@thelevesoncentre.org.uk.
Cancer awareness and education
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to fighting cancer is education.
CARES is a project funded by York Against Cancer and facilitated by the Huntington Research School that seeks to help all members of our community reduce their risk of cancer through education.
In the 2024/25 school year, the PHSE curriculum has changed to include more need for discussion of cancer-related topics. We’re creating a series of interactive teaching resources on:
HPV Vaccination and Cancer
UV, Sunbeds and Skin Cancer
Smoking/Vaping and Lung Cancer
We’re also supporting teachers in these topics by providing teacher training on difficult conversations with children around cancer. We are working in collaboration with child psychologist Dr Rebecca Donaldson to help improve teacher confidence in conversations about cancer.
Our shops
We have two wonderful gift shops located at York Community Stadium and York Hospital. Each of our shops is staffed by generous volunteers, selling an assortment of beautiful cards, gifts, jewellery, homeware and more.
All of our stock is 100% brand new and all proceeds go to York Against Cancer to help us provide the best support we can to cancer patients and their loved ones.
Lab teaching sessions
Groundbreaking 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 support the Jack Birch Unit (JBU) at the University of York, which is making landmark discoveries in understanding the causes, prevention and treatment of bladder cancer. The JBU is expanding its research into other cancer types, including those of breast, colon and kidney.
hin the lab JBU team
Dr Simon Baker has taken great strides in researching the potential causes of bladder cancer, studying how a common infection, known as ‘BK virus,’ may lead to bladder cancer developing later in life. This work has been gaining international recognition, with Simon invited to give talks around the UK and in Germany, Italy and Switzerland.
The JBU is expanding its cancer research programme to significantly enhance clinical impact for cancer patients. This will include developing scientifically-led clinical collaborations and ensuring research findings can be translated into real-world applications.
Over the years, we have also been pleased to support additional research projects conducted by specialists at York Hospital. We have donated £100,000 towards prostate cancer research, and funded a possible test to identify people at risk of developing bowel cancer.
Surgical robot
In 2022, York Against Cancer made a £680,000 donation to fund a brand new robotic surgical system at York Hospital, entitled the da Vinci Surgical System.
This innovative technology allows for less invasive procedures than open surgery and grants more precision in difficult to access areas than traditional key-hole surgery, leading to fewer complications.
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 and allow for an earlier return to function for the patient.
alSystem
Shortly after the da Vinci Surgical System was implemented in York Hospital, Consultant Urologist, Ben Blake-James, said: “We’re already seeing the advantages. Patients are more able to return to activity with less post-operative pain.”
Launch of the da Vinci Surgical System
Get involved!
Without your help, York Against Cancer would not have been able to reach the incredible milestones it has in cancer research and patient support. There are lots of ways you can support York Against Cancer and help us to raise life-changing funds.
Volunteer
We have a range of volunteering opportunities you can get involved in. Whether you can spare time on a regular basis, or every now and then, every little helps. Some of our volunteering opportunities include working in our two gift shops, running stalls at events, baking for our cake sales and much more. Get in touch or visit our website to register your interest.
Donate
By donating to York Against Cancer, you can help to fund services like our free minibus for radiotherapy appointments, our free respite breaks, our cancer support centre, The Leveson Centre, and more. If you would like to donate as a one-off, become a regular giver, or offer a legacy gift, visit our website.
Fundraise
We appreciate every fundraising activity that’s held for York Against Cancer. There are lots of exciting ways to fundraise for us, whether you want to take part in an organised event or create one of your own! Find out more by visiting our website.
Get your business involved
There are a number of options to choose from when it comes to getting your business involved with York Against Cancer. Become a corporate partner, offer workplace volunteering, organise a fundraiser or choose us as your charity of the year. Find out more on our website.
Get in touch
To find out more about any of our services or to enquire about getting involved, email us on office@yorkagainstcancer.org.uk, call us on 01904 764466 or visit our office in York Community Stadium.
www.yorkagainstcancer.org.uk | 01904 764466 | office@yorkagainstcancer.org.uk
“This adventure was more than just a physical challenge; it was a way to make a difference in the lives of those affected by cancer.”
Jason
“I
love the feeling of satisfaction when I help to raise money for the charity and get to see all the good it does.”
Carol
“We love doing group events as it gives a chance for people to take part in something that they may not do on their own while raising money for a good cause.”
Indra
