Young Lives vs Cancer South West Fundraising

23/06/2026

Date for your diary is the Swindon Open Day this Saturday 27th June.
You can read more here Swindon Fire Station.

A HUGE thank you to Lee and team from Swindon Fire Station for organising this fantastic day which is raising funds for the Fire Fighters Charity and Young Lives vs Cancer.

Thank you to much to everyone who has so kindly supported this day with many local traders and businesses kindly pledging to donate profits and raffle from the day. So look out for:
- Tombola
- Raffle
- Children's raffle - win a firefighter build a bear.
- Fire Fighter Charity Toy Shop
- Lizzy Bakes - Cakes and treats
- Trisha Toys
- Bouncy Castle (Free to use)
- Penalty Shoot out (Free to use or a donation option for a chance to win a prize)
- Basketball shoot out (Free to use or a donation option for a chance to win a prize)
- Face Painting
- Kids fire education corner
- Sweets and Posh Coffee
- Hot food van
- Tea and coffee (with a biscuit) stall
- Pippin Doughnuts
- Water squirting - mini fire engine races (Free to use or a donation option for a chance to win a prize)
- Fire server demonstrations - Road traffic accident demo, house fire demo and tech rescue demo.
- SWAS (Ambulance Service)
- Wiltshire Police
- How to join as an on-call Firefighter
- Fire engines on display
- Our fab Young Lives vs Cancer volunteer Wendy.
Gates open at 11am for general admission and close at 4pm.

Thank you so much all and hope you have a brilliant day, really appreciate you supporting children and young people with cancer and their families. 💙

22/06/2026

Last October, we introduced the Coastal Commanders and their incredible Atlantic rowing challenge. Since then, training has been building steadily behind the scenes, and they are now entering the final phase. 🌊🚣‍♂️🌊

Joe, our Fundraising Engagement Manager in Bristol, recently caught up with the crew:

“We’re now around six months out from departure and fully into final prep, training hard, refining our systems, and finalising our kit and food plans for 40+ days at sea.

One of the biggest logistical challenges is food. We need to carry and pre-plan every calorie we’ll consume, and we are currently looking to secure around 720 meals onboard for the crossing.

Through our Feed a Rower campaign, we’re inviting support to help us get this final piece in place. Every contribution helps fuel the endurance we need to get across the Atlantic safely and strongly.

If you are able to support, or know a business that might be interested, we would really appreciate it. Thank you for being part of the journey so far, it really does make a difference.”

This challenge is all about raising vital funds and awareness for cancer charities, including Young Lives vs Cancer. They do not have long to go now, so let’s help them cross the finish line strong - https://www.coastalcommanders.com/join-our-mission 💙

21/06/2026

It's hugely impressive the challenges that people take on!
Have you heard of the Dragon Ride? It's a 166km cycle ride with 2,500m elevation! Team Appear and industry partners did brilliantly with this difficult challenge last Sunday. A massive thank you to Thomas, Margot, Matt, Gavin, Tony, Tim, Graham, James, Chris, Ben, Alexander, Alex, Chris and Neil for their fantastic support and to everyone who so kindly supported them on Sunday.

We really appreciate the fabulous fundraising for Young Lives vs Cancer and RISE. Thank you so much all and special thanks to Chris from Appear for letting his colleagues know about the difference Young Lives vs Cancer makes.

You can read here about why Appear are so kindly supporting Young Lives vs Cancer this year: https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/13676/appear-vs-the-dragon-ride-and-the-three-peaks/

12/06/2026

Good luck to Thomas, Margot, Matt, Gavin, Tony, Tim, Graham, James, Chris, Ben, Alexander, Alex, Chris and Neil from Appear and Partners who are taking on the Dragon Ride this Sunday. What a challenge! https://www.dragonride.co.uk/event-info/our-routes/

We so appreciate Appear for their support this year. We only have our "Homes from Home" like CLIC House in Bristol and Jean's House in Southampton, thanks to supporters like those from Appear. Thank you all so much and GOOD LUCK!

https://www.givewheel.com/fundraising/13676/appear-vs-the-dragon-ride-and-the-three-peaks

At Appear, we’re a small team who like taking on a challenge and supporting causes that matter to us. This year, we’ll be taking part in both the Three Pe…

11/06/2026

A huge well done to Stanley , who is taking on the Cheltenham Half Marathon this September to raise money for Young Lives vs Cancer after we supported his family a few years ago.

To kick things off, he recently held a pop-up sale of limoncello, Welsh cakes and fudge, and raised an amazing £130. Thank you so much to everyone who supported him.

If you’d like to cheer him on and help him reach his fundraising goal, you can donate here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/finlay-stanley-2

Every contribution makes a real difference, and I know it would mean the world to Finn. Let’s get behind him all the way to the finish line.

10/06/2026

Something really special happening at Barehill Lakes… such a beautiful setting and a brilliant way to get outdoors, connect with others and do something good for your wellbeing.

If you’ve been thinking about giving open water swimming (or something new) a try, this could be the perfect opportunity. You can find out all the details in the post below!

🌊 Join us at Bare Hill Lakes on 4th July for a very special charity day.

🌊 https://barehilllakes.co.uk/book
www.justgiving.com/page/barehilllakes

🌊 Last November, our 3-year-old nephew Jack was diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma—a rare and aggressive blood cancer. Overnight, everything changed.

🌊Young Lives vs Cancer stepped in when we needed it most. They gave Jack's family a place to stay near the hospital, so his brother could visit at weekends and they could be together. Their specialist social worker was there on the ward with practical help and emotional support when things felt impossible.

Now we want to give back.

🌊Come for a swim, enjoy the entertainment, or simply donate what you can. Every penny goes directly to Young Lives vs Cancer, and all our staff are volunteering their time for free.
Let's make a difference for families facing childhood cancer. See you there. 💛

🌊 Please come down and help us help others. Swimming slots are selling quickly - dont leave it too late or. You may be disappointed!

🌊 https://barehilllakes.co.uk/book

🌊 See you all lakeside soon!

07/06/2026

💛 A huge THANK YOU to all our incredible volunteers 💛

Your kindness, time and dedication make such a difference every single day. We simply couldn’t do what we do without you

This Volunteers’ Week (and every week), we celebrate you and everything you bring to our community.

You are truly amazing! Thank you for being part of our journey

06/06/2026

Georgia and Billie from Swindon are doing a fantastic job with their fundraising for Young Lives vs Cancer . They have raised over £1,500 already for their sky dive on the 25th July in memory of Mitchell: Georgia's brother and Billie's nephew.
Georgia and Billie write on their fundraising page:

"We lost Mitch, at the age of 21, on Christmas Eve 2023 after a short battle with cancer. During that time young lives vs cancer went above and beyond to support our family. By doing this skydive we can raise money in Mitch's memory for this fantastic charity."

Thanks so much Georgia and Billie for bravely taking on this challenge to help ensure that we have our fantastic Young Lives vs Cancer Social Workers providing emotional, practical and financial support for young cancer patients and their families. Sending love and best wishes to you and your family. Look forward to seeing the photos from the skydive. 💙

https://www.justgiving.com/page/b-jones-g-neish-21

05/06/2026

This Volunteers Week, we would like to thank our incredible Trustees of Young Lives vs Cancer, led by the Chair, Sir David Haslam.

Our Trustees guide our work and are responsible for the direction of the organisation. We so appreciate their ongoing dedication, guidance, passion, and insight in ensuring we make a meaningful difference for children and young people with cancer and their families.

Thank you all so much for your commitment to ensuring young cancer patients get the right care at the right time.
https://www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/

Thank you also to David for volunteering at Teddy Rocks Festival the last two years, where he is photographed here with wife Barbara and Jess. Another BIG thank you to them all for their fab volunteering there too! 💙

05/06/2026

The World Cup is about to kick off next week. Why not turn the excitement into something good?
Whether you’re at home, school or work, you can fundraise while you watch:

⚽Run a sweepstake or score prediction
⚽Wear your team colours for a donation
⚽Host snacks or a mini bake sale
⚽Set up fun football challenges
⚽Or take a look at some of our ideas and downloads to get you started

Every goal, every pound raised makes a difference.

Get your friends, family or colleagues involved and make this tournament your most impactful yet

You'll find lots of downloads in our World Cup 2026 album!
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=YoungLivesvsCancerSouthWestFundraising&set=a.1418118930339503