Children with Cancer Fund (CWCF) was formed in July 1998 and is made up of a group of staff, family, friends and volunteers; the main thought being to enable children with cancer, and their families, to have a quality of life that we would hope to have ourselves.
The founders, Chris and Ursula Downton, and James and Kirsty Denny, founded the charity with the aim to grant wishes to children up to the age of eighteen, and their families, who have, or have had, cancer and who primarily live in East Sussex, Brighton and Hove. Wishes can be practical, medical or fun and can be made to individual families as well as supporting a group together by giving them quality family time. We also support local hospitals and community nurses who assist in the care of the children under our remit.
As a charity, we believe that the small things matter, from buying a parking permit, to replacing school uniform, and we help facilitate these things so that the families can focus on what’s important- their time together as a family!
Over the years, the charity has grown from being run by a small group at a kitchen table, to having an extensive network of volunteers and staff as well as having an office base. Having received the Queen’s award for voluntary service in 2015 we are now lucky enough to have support from various local companies, supermarkets, clubs, shops and offices. This means we have the support to be able to organise larger scale events such as trips and holidays for our families so they can spend time together and have some fun.
We know how difficult it is to for a family who has a child going through cancer, hence our little charity aims to support in any way we can and provide a network for these families so they know that they are not alone- this is what gives CWCF its family feel.
We look forward to many more years together of supporting families and creating a lasting legacy!