Date published: 28 September 2020 by Digital Team

As a proud member of the Children and Young People with Cancer Coalition, Rainbow Trust Children's Charity is today (29 September) calling on the Government to provide emergency income relief for charities supporting children and young people with cancer that have significantly lost income due to COVID-19.

A survey of 24 of charities in the coalition shows that coronavirus has affected the annual income of all but one of the organisations, with a collective loss of at least £45 million.

The impact has meant that many of the charities surveyed have had to stop or scale back some of their services. Despite this, the demand for children and young people’s cancer services during the pandemic has increased by up to 75%.

Rainbow Trust Chief Executive Zillah Bingley said:

"In the UK 11 children and young people are diagnosed with cancer every day and at Rainbow Trust a third of all the families we support are caring for a child with cancer.

"A cancer diagnosis is frightening at any time, but against the backdrop of coronavirus these families are now facing an even more terrifying reality. The pandemic has heightened the feeling of isolation and fear for these families and we need to ensure that vital services for children and young people with cancer are not put at further risk at a time when they are needed more than ever.

"Rainbow Trust has been deeply affected by the pandemic. Our income has significantly dropped, our fundraising events have been cancelled and we’ve been forced to reduce our headcount by 17% to ensure we can continue supporting families with a seriously ill child.

"That’s why, as part of the Children and Young People with Cancer Coalition, we are calling on the Government to provide emergency funding for charities supporting children and young people with cancer in these darkest of times."

To read the findings of the Children and Young People's Cancer Coalition in more detail, please click here.