£25k Weston Park Cancer Charity grant supports bespoke services for Teenage and Young Adult patients

A Weston Park Cancer Charity grant of £25k will help to provide personalised support services for teenage and young adult (TYA) cancer patients for another year.

The grant will support the award-winning TYA team, which works with patients at Weston Park Cancer Centre, the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

The service saw a 24% increase in referrals in 2024, with many young people requiring comprehensive one-to-one emotional and practical support.

By awarding the grant through our Rochelle Baxter Fund, the team’s experts can remain flexible and responsive to the specific needs of each patient.

The funding will help to ensure that no young person living with and beyond cancer who fall outside of strict NHS criteria get the psychosocial support or practical help they need.

The impact of charity funding

Weston Park Cancer Charity funding has supported a wealth of TYA activities including residential stays, support groups, creative workshops, and an annual event for bereaved families.

In 2025, the TYA service won the prestigious ‘Team of the Year’ award at the CCLG: Children’s & Young People’s Cancer Association.

The team were also shortlisted for a Nursing Times Award in 2025 – the only TYA team in the country to achieve this honour.

In 2026, the TYA team plan on using charity funding to enable a wide range of services such as:

• A bi-monthly support group for young parents who have experienced cancer.
• Creative workshops, including flower arranging and wreath making.
• Hardship grants of up to £300.
• Cooking sessions to give young people life skills and ensure they can make healthy food for themselves.
• Residential stays and events, which help patients to meet peers and form supportive connections.
• A Christmas visit to Chatsworth, with a pantomime trip for younger patients.

Helping bereaved family members and friends 

The TYA team organises bereavement support groups and an annual ‘Remembering Day’, where family members can come together to honour their loved ones.

The new grant will enable the TYA team to expand their bereavement support offering – with friends and partners now able to access these important services.

Alongside emotional support, the TYA team gives grants to grieving families so they can give their young person the funeral they deserve.

Funerals can cost at least £6,000 and these grants help to alleviate some of the financial burden for families during an extremely difficult time.

Liz Purnell, Teenage Cancer Unit Lead Nurse, said:

“The Weston Park Cancer Charity grant will allow us to provide support and care to patients over and above NHS-funded treatment.

“It will enable us to offer support that is tailored to each patient’s individual needs - helping to address the unique challenges of a cancer diagnosis at a young age."

Imogen Winter at Weston Park Cancer Charity said:

“The personalised services that the TYA team provides make such a difference to young patients and families across the region.

“We’re delighted to award them with a Weston Park Cancer Charity grant to help their vital work for another year.

“Our huge thanks go to our generous supporters, who make grants like this possible.”

You can support the work of the TYA team by donating directly to the Rochelle Baxter Fund at: rochelle-baxter-fund.raiselysite.com/