Children’s cancer charity Candlelighters hosted a weekend of fun and respite at Lineham Farm for 34 children whose siblings face a cancer diagnosis.
Around 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer every year. A childhood cancer diagnosis devastates the entire family. It can be especially difficult for siblings to process the emotional difficulty that a cancer diagnosis causes, as well as being apart from their brother or sister and parents, as they need to focus on a sick child in hospital.
Children’s cancer charity Candlelighters recognises this impact on siblings. They provide therapy-based sibling groups throughout the year and host an annual sibling residential trip, to help children escape the harsh realities of childhood cancer and enjoy a weekend of fun.
This year’s sibling residential took place at Lineham Farm near Leeds. The weekend included fun activities for the children, including archery, low ropes, bushcraft, and exploring the grounds. They met the animals including guinea pigs and fed sheep as well as playing lots of games with friends made at the Candlelighters groups.
Natalie Kisby, Head of Family Support at Candlelighters told us “It’s important that siblings can enjoy the company of other children with a shared understanding of the difficulties of childhood cancer. The Candlelighters sibling residentials offer the opportunity for children to make wonderful new memories whilst making friends and finding companionship in each other.”
Two of the attendees this year were brothers William and Sonny Welsh from Skipton. Sadly, their brother Rory died in 2016 at just 18 months old, after he was diagnosed with leukaemia. Their mum Laura told us that Candlelighters have supported their family since Rory was diagnosed and following his death.
The family attend bereavement support groups for parents, siblings and grandparents. Rory’s brother, William, who was three years old when his younger sibling died, attends the Candlelighters Bereaved Sibling group, which has provided him with friendships that have shared his experience of childhood cancer.
Laura told us “As William has grown up and got a better understanding of what happened to Rory, he has had questions and anxieties, which the Candlelighters team have been able to help him with through these groups. We have since had another son, Sonny, and from the age of five, he has also been able to attend the Bereaved Sibling group. This has helped him understand what happened to our family before he was born.”
William and Sonny both attended the recent Candlelighters Super Sibling residential trip. “This is the highlight of the year for William, and Sonny was very excited to be able to join him this time. The residential trip is for all siblings of children with cancer, whether they are going through treatment, have completed treatment, or are bereaved. Understandably, when you are in a family with a poorly child, they tend to take up a lot of time and attention, even after they have completed treatment. When you suffer a bereavement, the lost child continues to be a major part of the family and the sadness and grief caused by their loss affects your home life forever. The sibling trip allows the children to get away from that, and have a fun-filled weekend where they are the focus.”
We’re delighted that two of our fundraising groups will be hosting fabulous fundraising balls this August.
Ilkley Candlelighters and Knaresborough Candlelighters would like to invite you to their summer balls to help raise vital funds for children and young people with cancer. Find out the details below…
Ilkley Candlelighters
Dance the night away and raise money for children with cancer 
We’re delighted to announce that the Ilkley Candlelighters fundraising group are hosting their fabulous Summer Ball this August. Book your space for a night to remember! The band is booked, and a delicious 3-course meal awaits you and your family and friends. 
When: Saturday 31st August 6:30pm – 12:30am
Where: Ilkley Golf Club practice ground, Nesfield Road, Ilkley
Dress code: Black Tie
Tickets: £150 per person
Places to this spectacular event will go quickly so make sure you get your tickets booked asap! Email Alison at [email protected] to book your place. 
Tables seat up to 10 so spread the word and gather your friends and family to eat, dance and be merry, all for a great cause!
Knaresborough Candlelighters
The wonderful Knaresborough Candlelighters fundraising group is back with a brand-new event! 
They’d love to invite you to join their Ladies Lunch event on 17th August, at Knaresborough Golf Club.
You’ll be treated to bubbly on arrival, a delicious 3-course meal, music, games and lots of laughter!
Tickets are £35 each. Contact Julie on 07980882127 for yours!
Both are sure to be brilliant events as always, hosted by the hard-working committees of Ilkley and Knaresborough Candlelighters. We hope you’ll support them in these fantastic events!
Candlelighters have been trialling opening our Family Support Centre, The Square on Saturdays to increase access to our support for our families. On Saturdays at The Square, Lucy Peel and Jess Burton, two of our Family Support Workers have provided wonderful crafts, fun activities, and food offerings. Our Sarnies and Smoothies on a Saturday have gone down a treat! They have also ensured that spaces in The Square can be utilised to their full capacity such as the homework corner and the reading nook.
Our Family Support Manager, Lucy Junni, conducted research with families that showed the importance of sibling support during childhood cancer treatment. Opening The Square on Saturdays provides families more opportunities to spend time together while enjoying engaging activities like crafting or catching up on homework. The Square is a wonderful space that offers families a break from the clinical hospital setting.
Families have appreciated having access to The Square during the weekend and have given us some wonderful feedback.
‘I’m so grateful to be able to step away from the hospital to have this personal time to support my other child.’ – a mum visiting to complete some fun crafts with her child.
‘It’s amazing that I can come from the ward, have a drink and time for myself before taking some lunch back to the ward with me to have with my son’ – a parent taking advantage of our Sarnies and Smoothies on a Saturday.
‘Having the space has allowed me to step away with my daughter and do something fun and nice where we are not next to her sister’s hospital bed’ – another mum completing crafts with her daughter.
‘We’re not from Leeds and have had a hard journey for the last eight weeks. This is our first time at The Square and it was the first time me and my wife walked together, holding hands, and having a laugh since we came her, all thanks to you and this space.’ – husband and dad of a patient on the ward enjoying The Square’s wonderful setting and atmosphere.
We are so pleased to be able to extend the accessibility of our resources and provide parents, siblings, patients and other family members with a comfortable and welcoming environment. If you’re a family supported by Candlelighters, please feel free to pop by to say hello, participate in the activities, or just enjoy a sit-down with a brew!
Yorkshire children’s cancer charity Candlelighters has celebrated the return of its largest annual fundraiser, ‘Pink It Up’ week.
Every year Candlelighters urges the community to get involved in pink-themed fundraising activities to support children and families affected by childhood cancer.
‘Pink It Up’ is the charity’s flagship campaign. Since 2019 Candlelighters have encouraged people across Yorkshire to help them paint the county pink through various, pink-themed fundraising activities and challenges to raise funds and awareness.
This year’s week-long fundraising event saw businesses, schools and communities across Yorkshire throwing their all into pink-themed fundraising to raise money for children with cancer.
From bake sales, parties and crafting activities to fancy dress competitions and window display decorating, the people of Yorkshire came together to show solidarity for children with cancer.
At Little Learners, a nursery in Kippax, the staff and children got stuck into fundraising with lots of activities across the week. From the children throwing flour, water and pies at staff, to a bake sale and a sponsored walk around the local community, everyone had lots of fun and raised almost £1,600.
And at Clarion Solicitors in Leeds, staff enjoyed raising funds for the worthy cause by holding a pink dress-up day and decorating their office pink.
The Candlelighters Family Support Team who work at Leeds Children’s Hospital hosted a range of pink-themed events on the oncology wards to bring the pink fun to the children and parents. Children were able to get involved in activities such as pie splatting the Family Support Workers, and staff dressed up in pyjamas and fancy dress, with special treats such as pink marshmallow and fruit kebabs available for the children to snack on.
Amy Laycock, Family Support Worker at Candlelighters said “The children thoroughly enjoyed taking part in all the Pink It Up fun on the wards and day unit. Making sure there’s lots of fun and distractions in the hospital is an important part of our role, and Pink It Up is a particularly special week for us. I think the children’s favourite activity was definitely splatting us in the face with cream pies, I lost count of the number of pies thrown in my face but hearing their laughter was absolutely worth every minute of it!”
Around 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer each year. Since its inception in 1976, Candlelighters has been committed to offering extensive emotional, practical, and financial support to affected families and facilitating research to better the lives and outcomes of children facing diagnosis and treatment.
Tom Robertshaw, Head of Fundraising at Candlelighters said “We are humbled that families and so many other people across the county come together to raise money to support children with cancer. Taking part in fundraising like Pink It Up is crucial in allowing Candlelighters to continue to support families during and beyond treatment, to ensure they never feel alone and know that there is a support network around them. I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has taken part in Pink it Up this year.”
Candlelighters has been shortlisted as one of the top three charities in the UK for the ‘People in?Governance’ national award in the Charity Governance Awards!
Annually, over 150 children in Yorkshire are diagnosed with cancer. When a child is diagnosed, lives are turned upside down instantly: not just for the child but the entire family. We have provided support for children and families for nearly 50 years, as well as investing in childhood cancer research.
This award is for charities that can demonstrate how all aspects of their Board’s work have supported outstanding results in delivering the charity’s mission and objectives. We are passionate about high standards of governance and our values are key to us recently becoming an accredited ‘Great Place to Work’ with a 97% average score. Strong governance is vital to ensure we are well run, and to give businesses and supporters confidence to invest in us.
We ensure a rich variety of board talent and experience to achieve our objectives, requiring a balance of clinical staff who are medical experts, family members who have been affected by childhood cancer, and other experts to fill any skills gap. Recently, two past patients, Rohan Randhawa and Mathew Bower, who we had supported when they were diagnosed with cancer as children, joined the Candlelighters Board to offer their insight on how a childhood cancer diagnosis affects a family.
Emily Wragg, our CEO, says, “We are thrilled to be shortlisted for the People in Governance Award. To put it simply, Candlelighters would not be where it is today without its incredible board leadership. The board has grown the charity from five people in a room ten years ago to 35 employees with four premises which not only ensures that families in Yorkshire face childhood cancer with a high level of support, but that we are making a difference across the UK and globally with our investment in research. Our Board are also hugely active in supporting the charity; with one of our Trustees even taking part in pink custard dunking as part of our “Pink It Up” fundraising week!”
Last year, we funded 1,062 stays near the hospital for families with children on treatment, providing security and keeping families together. We were able to fund 384 talking therapy appointments, working with both children and adults to ease psychological concerns and develop coping strategies, and had 296 attendances at 30 of our support groups, including Sibling Groups and Bereaved Mums Groups. This would not be possible without the wonderful fundraising efforts of our supporters, like you, who we are massively grateful for.
We are celebrating after two of our leaders attended a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace! Emily Wragg, our Chief Executive Officer, and Keith Hardcastle, our Chair of Trustees, were invited in recognition of our work, and they were amongst specially selected guests from across the UK.
Emily Wragg explains: “We were thrilled to have been nominated as guests at Buckingham Palace. This Garden Party was one of just two held each year. Members of the Royal Family and King Charles were in attendance.
“Our invitation recognised the work done at Candlelighters, by a wide range of people working hard to support children and their families through a childhood cancer diagnosis. We’re very lucky to have a large number of committed volunteers and fundraisers as well as members of staff, and each of them has an important role to play.”
Keith Hardcastle adds:
“We were at Buckingham Palace to represent the support we offer to hundreds of children and their families across Yorkshire who are impacted by childhood cancer. It also reflected our wider work, including our investment into research which supports children with cancer across the UK and internationally.”
Emily says:
“Keith and I feel incredibly humbled to represent such an important charity and to be a part of both what we have achieved, and what we will achieve in the future. Families are affected by childhood cancer, not only throughout treatment but beyond – whether their child has long-term side effects or the family is sadly bereaved.
“Being able to provide vital support for these families during an extremely traumatic journey is at the core of everything we do.”
Whilst Emily and Keith joined Members of the Royal Family and King Charles at Buckingham Palace, the rest of our team also celebrated the day, hosting parties for children, families and staff, at the Family Support Centre and at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Our families enjoyed food, games and lots of bunting to enjoy this special day for Candlelighters.
Each year, specially invited guests are invited?to enjoy a relaxing summer afternoon in the prestigious gardens of Buckingham Palace or the Palace of Holyroodhouse. The events are an opportunity for members of the Royal Family to meet and chat to people from many backgrounds who have all made a significant contribution to their community.
Emily Wragg and Keith Hardcastle have played a crucial role in our expansion and success over the years, including the opening of The Square and The Candlelighters Cottage.
Emily Wragg joined us in her new role as?Chief Executive Officer in June 2018 and was previously our Deputy Director. She was recently nominated for the award of Public and Third Sector Leader in the Yorkshire Leadership Awards.
Keith Hardcastle joined the Board of Candlelighters in 2009 and became Chair in June 2020. Keith’s son, Harry, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of three in 2006. Keith leads our Board of Trustees who provide direction, oversight and governance of our charitable activities.
Last year, Emily and Keith led the creation of a £1 million Candlelighters Supportive Care Research Centre, in collaboration with the University of York, which will focus on research tackling the potentially life-threatening side effects of cancer treatment for children. This will see internationally crucial research being led from Yorkshire to help save lives, reduce suffering, and bring hope for children diagnosed with cancer.
As a children’s cancer charity, it is vital that the voices and experiences of patients help guide what we do. We were thrilled when two former patients, Rohan Randhawa and Mathew Bower, joined our Trustee Board last year.
Rohan and Mathew provide incredibly valuable input to ensure children, young people, and families are at the heart of our decisions and plans. Recently, Rohan’s story was shared in the press, helping to demonstrate the importance of Rohan and Mathew’s roles on our Trustee Board.
As a young boy, Rohan’s older brother noticed his hands and feet had swollen up while playing cricket in the garden. His mother took him to A,&E where it was found out that Rohan’s kidneys had burst. However, this wasn’t the most startling discovery of their visit: a small growth had been found on his lymph node, which resulted in a cancer diagnosis.
Rohan, now 27, started chemotherapy and spent many years in and out of St James Hospital, where he first met children’s cancer charity Candlelighters. “The pink t-shirts of all the Candlelighters staff is something that still resonates today and makes me feel at ease.”
Rohan is National Manager for Chance to Shine, a national cricket charity. Before his father passed away in 2016, he donated monthly from his wage to Candlelighters, and he often said to Rohan that he needed to give something back one day.
Rohan has now joined the Board of Trustees at Candlelighters, after side effects from his chemotherapy treatment as a child made him reflect on his traumatic experience with cancer.
“I truly believe that without the emotional support Candlelighters provided me and my family with all those years ago, I might not have dealt with things as well as I did, and I may not be where I am today. The reason I took up a trustee role on the board at Candlelighters is to try do my bit to support young people going through the worst imaginable circumstances. Walking into the Candlelighters Family Support Centre brought back that feeling of comfort and calm straight away.”
The Candlelighters Trustee Board comprises a team including clinical experts, parents of patients, and past patients to make important decisions on how the charity is run. CEO Emily Wragg says, “We are so grateful that Rohan and Mathew have joined the board and will bring their knowledge of a child’s experience with cancer and the long-term side effects to Candlelighters. They have already contributed so much, and we can’t wait to work with them further.”
Established in 1976, Candlelighters is dedicated to supporting children and their families across Yorkshire who are impacted by childhood cancer. Each year, in Yorkshire alone, over 150 children are diagnosed with some form of cancer. The charity offers family support in many forms, from practical financial support for families and funded holidays to talking therapies, wellbeing treatments and support groups for siblings.
We’re pleased to welcome Rohan to the team!
Our team are celebrating after being accredited as one of the Top 100 Great Places to Work in the UK. We placed number 36!
CEO of Candlelighters, Emily Wragg says: “This is a huge achievement for us and reflects the positive actions of each employee in creating a supportive working environment. Our donors, volunteers and families who benefit from our services deserve the very best from us, and this external accreditation confirms that we are doing the right things.”
Emily explains: “The Great Place to Work Survey is an employee experience platform built upon 30 years of research and data, designed to measure the success of workplace culture. A number of aspects were measured, through an anonymous online survey, including support, camaraderie and leadership. We were thrilled to hear that our average score across the key measures was 97%, which is fantastic compared with an average score of 78% for the non-profit sectors.”
Each year, in Yorkshire alone, over 150 children are diagnosed with some form of cancer. We offer family support in many forms, from financial support for families and funded holidays, to talking therapies, wellbeing treatments and support groups for siblings.
We have invested in childhood cancer research for 45 years and just last year invested over half a million pounds which helps children with cancer across the UK and internationally. We also invest in the wards at Leeds Children’s Hospital by funding posts and equipment, as well as having our own team of Family Support workers based at the hospital.
We are so pleased to announce that our latest Company of the Month is Barratt Developments!
This month, we would like to thank the team at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West as they completed another fundraiser to take their fundraising to an incredible total of over £60,000 raised for Candlelighters!
Last month, eight members of the Land and Technical teams from Barratt Developments Yorkshire West came together to each accumulate five kilometres a day for five days by running, walking or cycling. The team managed to raise a fabulous £1,075, which will be matched by Barratt’s Group Charity Committee, taking the final total to £2,150 raised for the charity.
Last year marked Barratt Developments Yorkshire West’s longstanding five-year partnership with Candlelighters and they have now raised an impressive £62,641 in that time.
Speaking about the challenge, Gavin Birch, Managing Director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire West, comments: “We’re extremely proud of our Land and Technical teams for taking part in another fundraising activity for Candlelighters.
“Taking part in runs, walks, and cycles of this length can be challenging, especially five days in a row. Sticking to that commitment, especially during the recent stormy weather, is commendable.
“Our partnership with Candlelighters is incredibly important to us, and we’re so pleased to have kicked off the year with another fundraising activity for them.”
Over the years Barratt Developments Yorkshire West have been involved in a range of fundraising activities to get to this amazing total. They have taken on the challenges of the Great North Run and York 10k, hosted annual golf days, and supported Candlelighters at some of their events.
They also demonstrated wonderful support for Candlelighters at Christmas with volunteering to wrap Christmas presents and at the Candlelighters Christmas party!
Iain Blackwood Hobbs, Partnerships Executive at Candlelighters, said: “Barratt Developments Yorkshire West has been so committed to the Candlelighters’ cause throughout our partnership with them, and we’re so pleased to see them complete another fundraising challenge for us. “£2,150 for Candlelighters from the 5k a day challenge will go a long way to provide practical, emotional, and financial support to so many families in Yorkshire who are affected by childhood cancer. We would like to thank Barratt Developments Yorkshire West for their continued support over the last five years, and we look forward to continuing our partnership throughout 2024.”
We are so proud to announce that our CEO, Emily Wragg, has been shortlisted for the Yorkshire Leadership Awards!
Emily Wragg, CEO of Candlelighters, was shortlisted for the Public and Third Sector Leader at the Business Desk Yorkshire Leadership Awards!
Emily has played a crucial role in Candlelighters’ expansion and success over the years. One of her early milestones was the opening of our Family Support Centre, The Square, providing our families with a space close to the hospital to receive support including talking therapy, massages and other well-being services. Emily spearheaded the establishment of The Candlelighters Cottage, a home-from-home environment for families traveling to receive treatment for their child. She also expanded our services to be accessible across the county by introducing a community model to widen support from the hospital to across Yorkshire.
Last year, Emily led the creation of a £1 million Candlelighters Supportive Care Research Centre in collaboration with the University of York, which will focus on research tackling the potentially life-threatening side effects of cancer treatment for children. This will see internationally crucial research being led from Yorkshire to help save lives, reduce suffering, and bring hope for children diagnosed with cancer.
Emily’s leadership style is characterised by trust, flexibility, and empowerment. She believes in removing barriers to success, fostering a non-hierarchical structure that encourages collaboration and innovation. Every member of Candlelighters is encouraged to contribute their ideas, without fear of failure, making Candlelighters a safe and creative space for testing and learning. Emily’s leadership was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her decisive actions, transparent communication, and unwavering support for both staff and the families we serve ensured that Candlelighters not only weathered the storm but emerged stronger.
Candlelighters has been awarded the external accreditation of being a ‘Great Place to Work’ with the global authority on workplace culture, the Great Place to Work organisation. When surveyed, 97% of the staff team said that Candlelighters was a great place to work, versus a company average of 54% across all other organisations in the UK, a testament to the strong culture Emily has built.
Emily says, “I’m so grateful to have been shortlisted for such a prestigious award. I feel incredibly humbled to lead such an important charity and to be a part of both what we have achieved, and what we will achieve in the future. Families are affected by childhood cancer not only throughout treatment, but beyond – whether their child has long-term side effects, or the family are sadly bereaved. Being able to provide vital support for these families during an extremely traumatic journey is at the core of everything we do.”
