Our vision is to bring light and hope to every family affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire. In the five decades since Candlelighters was formed, we have grown and adapted in so many ways to help us achieve this vision. 

One of our core values is to care for patients, families, supporters, staff, and the wider community we operate in. We know that many of the people we serve face challenges which may be exacerbated by race and that we have a duty as an organisation to mitigate these challenges where we have the power to do so.

We want to create a culture where everyone we work with is heard, valued, and cared for.

Candlelighters are committed to growing and adapting to make this happen and have begun taking action to achieve this.

Some of the actions we’re taking:

• An external review with a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion professional to review and help address where we can improve our processes and operations to remove barriers and ensure fair treatment for all.
• Starting dialogue with and listening to people from ethnic minority backgrounds on issues they face and how we can alleviate them.
• Delivering anti-racism training to all members of staff and reinforcing a culture of safety for staff to talk about race.

This is only the start of an ongoing pledge to become an anti-racist organisation. We will continue to develop and grow, striving to improve our knowledge and use our influence to contribute a more inclusive society.

If you’d like to speak to someone about this statement, you can contact us at [email protected].