JD Wetherspoon raises £15m for young cancer patients

26-Feb-2018 - Last updated on 26-Feb-2018 at 09:27 GMT

Target hit: JDW's partnership with cancer charity CLIC Sargent has raised £15m

JD Wetherspoon staff are celebrating hitting a £15m fundraising target in support of cancer charity CLIC Sargent since the start of the pubco's partnership with the charity in 2002.

The milestone means that fundraisers across the country have raised the equivalent of £1m per year since since the pub giant's longest standing corporate partnership began.

The pubco and charity teamed up after JDW chairman Tim Martin found himself sat opposite then CLIC Sargent chief executive David Ellis on a train. The chance meeting led to the agreement of a fundraising partnership initially aimed at raising £500,000.

CLIC Sargent staff with £15m giant cheque outside Paul's House, CLIC Sargent's London Home from Home

Every family needs support

Martin said: “We are extremely proud of the fact that we have now raised £15m for the charity, due to the dedication and efforts of our staff and customers.

“We know that the fight for young lives against cancer is ongoing and we want to help CLIC Sargent be there for every family that needs support in the future.”

CLIC Sargent chief executive Kate Lee added: “We are blown away by the ongoing dedication and enthusiasm from JD Wetherspoon staff. They have done an outstanding job to reach this incredible milestone and we can’t thank them enough.

“Every penny raised makes a life-changing difference to families when a young person receives a cancer diagnosis. Treatment can be long and gruelling, and often far from home. CLIC Sargent provides vital front-line services, support, free accommodation at our 10 Homes from Home and financial grants.

“Thanks to support from the likes of JD Wetherspoon, we can continue to limit the damage cancer causes to young people beyond their health."

Help with finances

Staff have been thanked by three young cancer patients who have been supported by CLIC Sargent Ayesha McGregor, Helen Haar and Tom Farrington.

McGregor, 20, from North Ayrshire, Scotland, was supported by CLIC Sargent after being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2015, during her first year at university. She received support from a CLIC Sargent social worker, who helped her with grants and benefit applications to alleviate the financial burden of treatment.

Young people supported by CLIC Sargent thanking pic (L-R Helen, Tom, Ayesha)

McGregor said: “I had to stop working so I had no income. I couldn’t go out and do things for myself or spend time with my friends. I had to travel around 40 miles to Glasgow for my treatment, which meant we were spending extra money on petrol.

“I met my CLIC Sargent social worker on my first day of chemotherapy. She helped me to address my money worries and gave me lots of emotional support. Just knowing that there was someone I could talk to or ask for help with anything was great.

“My experience without CLIC Sargent would have been completely different. I’ve managed to gain more confidence and meet new friends. Without my social worker’s support it would have been a much lonelier experience.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to all of the staff at JD Wetherspoon for raising an incredible £15m for CLIC Sargent. This is an amazing milestone and it’s impossible to put into words how much it means as it will help so many young people like me.”