This May Yorkshire children’s cancer charity Candlelighters met his majesty King Charles at a royal garden party. It was all in recognition of their incredible services to the city.
Chief Executive Officer Emily Wragg and Chair of Trustees Keith Hardcastle were handpicked alongside a few select others from around the country to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace.
Emily said, “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.”
Emily Wragg and Keith Hardcastle were the natural choice be represent Candlelighters, both having played a crucial role in the charity’s expansion and success over the years.
They spearheaded the establishment of The Candlelighters Cottage, a four-bedroom house that provides a home-from-home environment for families travelling to receive treatment for their child.
Then, 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.
Candlelighters is a charity which for over 45 years has brought comfort to families affected by childhood cancer across Yorkshire, by providing emotional, practical, and financial support, as well as investing in vital research to save lives and reduce the suffering of children with cancer.
Whilst Emily and Keith joined King Charles and members of the Royal Family at Buckingham Palace, the rest of the Candlelighters team also celebrated the day, hosting parties for children, families and staff, at their Family Support Centre and at Leeds Children’s Hospital. Children and their families enjoyed food, games and lots of bunting to enjoy this special day for the charity.
Learn more about what Candlelighters do, and how you can make a difference for children: https://www.candlelighters.org.uk/howyoucanhelp/
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