Support for childhood cancer, through world first Cancer Platform collaboration

Lioncroft Foundation kick-starts support for childhood cancer, through world first Cancer Platform collaboration

 The Cancer Awareness Trust has received a major donation from the Lioncroft Foundation, to support and empower childhood cancer patients and their parents, as they navigate the best possible care available to them.

Through the first ever grant from the newly formed Lioncroft Foundation, The Cancer Awareness Trust has been able to appoint Ali Timmons as Childhood Cancer Specialist – Lioncroft Fellow.

Through the role, Ali will be focused on supporting families whose children are living with Neuroblastoma – a rare cancer that forms in nerve tissue and develops from the cells left behind from a baby’s development in the womb. Neuroblastoma affects around 100 children each year in the UK, about 6% of the total number of childhood cancer diagnoses. It usually affects children under the age of five and can occur before a child is born. It is the second most common solid tumour in children after brain tumours.

Based in Birmingham, Ali will help to develop cancer navigation pathways that will support families to access the right information at the right time, as they search for the best possible treatment for their child.

The Lioncroft Fellow role will also provide much-needed support for families who often face complex navigation to clinical trials and will ensure that essential wider support structures such as mental and financial health support are provided. The role is a collaboration with Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, one of the UK’s leading childhood cancer specialist charities and a Founding Partner of Cancer Platform.

Not only will this personal approach play a significant role in the lives of those affected by Neuroblastoma but will also have a considerable impact on The Cancer Awareness Trusts’ development of Cancer Platform – a world first, free to use, global resource that will better equip people affected by cancer to find expert information they can trust, quickly and easily. The first iteration of the platform will launch in 2024.

The newly created Lioncroft Foundation was founded by Jason and Daali Wouhra and family from Lioncroft Wholesale Limited, one of the Midlands’ largest food and drink wholesalers. It was set up to unlock the resources of the company and family to support charitable initiatives locally and around the world. The funding of Ali’s role kick-starts the Lioncroft Foundation’s plans to support many charities in the coming years. Supporting those in their fight against cancer is especially important to the organisation, with family members also having battled the disease.

Dr Jason Wouhra OBE, CEO at Lioncroft Wholesale and co-founder of The Lioncroft Foundation, said: “We are privileged to support the Cancer Awareness Trust with the appointment of the first Lioncroft Fellow, Ali Timmons.  Philanthropy sits at the heart of my family’s values, and we strongly believe in contributing to help others.

“The Lioncroft Foundation aims to assist those in need, be it regionally, nationally or internationally.

“Sadly, Cancer is an illness that affects large numbers of individuals and their families, including our own. Childhood Cancer is a heartbreaking condition, and we are honoured to have the opportunity, through the Lioncroft Foundation, to support children who are diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. We are hopeful that through our support this condition will be researched further to provide help and guidance to families as well as the development of clinical trials to make enough of a difference to enable the elimination of this condition altogether.”

Founder, Prof. Sir Chris Evans, said: “Ali has hit the ground running on the development of the childhood cancer pathway for Cancer Platform. She’s here thanks to the generosity of Jason and Daali Wouhra through Lioncroft Foundation and I’m truly honoured we are the recipient of their first grant as a new foundation! Together with our partner Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, we’ll ensure thousands of children with cancer get the support they and their loved ones need, when they need it!”

Kiran Sehmi, UK Director at The Cancer Awareness Trust, added: “The development of a specialised childhood cancer navigation pathway, especially targeting Neuroblastoma is an exceptionally fulfilling project for the Cancer Platform. It signifies potential impact on the lives of children and their families facing this particular form of cancer. This innovation represents a significant step forward in improving cancer care.”