Happy New Year to you - Jo Elvin, CEO

As we know, the start of a new year inspires many to think about new beginnings. Resolutions are made – if not always successfully kept. We spend a lot of energy thinking of how we might make this brand new year the best one yet.

Sadly, families affected by childhood cancer don’t always get the luxury of that fresh start. For most, the change from the old year to the new is marked by simply more days facing gruelling treatments in hospital. These are the families we work for, every day of the year. I am proud to be leading Children with Cancer UK into 2024.

Our mission at the charity is to see a world where every child and young person survives cancer. We will not rest until that goal is realised. To that end, we have a raft of new and ambitious plans for 2024. This is the year that will see the opening of our brand new retreat, aimed at supporting young patients and their families when they really do need some rest and respite.

We will build on the success of major events we launched last year such as The Really Big Auction and Style Against Cancer. And I want to give special mention to one of our own: Sebastian is the Sports Events Co-ordinator for Children with Cancer UK. Seb was inspired to join the charity by watching his sister deal with childhood cancer and now he’s going a step further with an incredible fundraising project. He’ll be travelling to Iceland this year with the hope of running its entire coastline in record time. We’ll be sharing Seb’s epic challenge in the coming weeks, so look out for that.

Looking back over the last 12 months, I’m in awe of what people all over the country have accomplished on behalf of our charity, and the milestones we have lined up for 2024 are incredible. While this year will be about embracing new projects and fundraising opportunities, we will of course always continue to celebrate our roster of established events and all the wonderful supporters who make them a success. We have more than 1000 runners currently training for April’s TCS London Marathon 2024. And hundreds of children across the country are taking part in our Pyjamarama Day, where they get to wear their PJs to school and show their solidarity for children just like them who are in hospital. From holding bake sales, or doing something outlandish, like a sponsored trip from the top of the country to the bottom, there are simply too many generous acts for me to list them all here. But we want you to know that we see you all. We see the donations, the heart-warming messages, the selfless volunteering at events big and small. And we could not be more grateful for everything you do that helps us carry out our work.

I would like to wish every child and young person facing cancer, every family member, every volunteer, every fundraiser, every supporter, every staff member a happy new year. Here’s hoping it brings us all the happiness, hope and strength we need.

Jo Elvin
CEO, Children with Cancer UK