Tesco shoppers in Cefn Mawr help give £3k boost to youth cancer support project

A cancer support project for young people in North Wales has been awarded £3,000 in grants thanks to support from local shoppers.

Young Lives vs Cancer was awarded two grants of £1,500 following votes by shoppers in the Tesco stores in Abergele and Cefn Mawr.

The grants will be used to support the ongoing running of the charity’s ‘Thrive Not Just Survive’ programme, which focuses on helping young people with cancer to deal with the emotional and mental impacts cancer brings, so that they can continue to thrive during treatment and afterwards.

The programme is run by local social workers across North Wales, and in the last year alone the team has supported 234 young people and their families.

‘Thrive Not Just Survive’ is designed to support young people with their mental health as they face cancer, by helping them build resilience and positivity to tackle the challenges they face during their treatment and beyond – as they return to school or work.

Support is provided on a one-to-one basis, both in hospital and remotely over the phone or on messaging apps. The team liaise with schools to ensure they are accommodating upon a young cancer patient’s return and ask teachers to organise work for them so they can keep up with their studies and liaise with employers to ensure a young person receives sick pay and can continue to work where possible, allowing them to earn some money and maintain their independence.

Sadly 70% of the young people supported through the programme admitted to having experienced depression during their treatment, but 84% said that the support of the expert team had helped them to get their life back on track.

Rachel Driver, the Young Lives vs Cancer team leader in North Wales, said: “I’ve worked as a Young Lives vs Cancer Social Worker in North Wales for over 11 years. It’s an honour to support young people with cancer and their families, to help them to ‘thrive not just survive’ during their cancer treatment and after.

“A huge thanks to everyone out there who voted for us in the Tesco blue tokens scheme, and to Tesco for providing us with £3,000 towards our vital work in North Wales. Your support makes a big difference – diolch yn fawr!”

Tesco Community Grants, the in-store scheme where customers vote with blue tokens for community projects and groups, has been helping community groups and charities across Wales and the wider UK since 2016.

Claire de Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “We want to reward fantastic groups who make such a difference to young people and families in their local communities, and are pleased to be able to support the tireless work of charities like Young Lives vs Cancer.”

To find out more about Tesco Community Grants go to www.tescocommunitygrants.org.uk.