Judges’ Award 2023 Silver £350,000-£1 million turnover
We launched the BIG LOVE FUND, inspired by the story of Luke Wiltshire, last year on the 10th of June on what would have been Luke’s 24th birthday. The fund was launched to help support more children and young people like Luke, who have been diagnosed with the childhood cancer neuroblastoma.
Luke battled the rare and aggressive childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, since he was 14 years old and sadly passed away in 2021 at the age of 23. The Big Love Fund has been created to directly support children and young people who are diagnosed with neuroblastoma, to help with their physical and wellbeing needs.
The fund is available to families across the UK and Ireland. So far we have been able to provide grants to 20 families.
Luke’s sister Claire said of the fund, “Luke was someone so special. He would have given everything to ensure others were okay. His journey is our inspiration and his legacy will live on – he will be recognised just how he wanted to be.”
Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, a specialist neuroblastoma charity, has supported Luke and his family since 2014. In 2021 Luke and his family had the devastating news that there were no more curative options for him. Having faced years of aggressive and toxic cancer treatment, Luke found solace and comfort in the world of Marvel and gaming and had a special wish to play the, not yet released, game Marvel’s Midnight Suns from 2K and Firaxis Games.
His wish to play this game sparked a remarkable series of events and a groundswell of support across social media from the gaming community, which resulted in Luke’s wish coming true. Incredibly, 2K – the game’s publisher –reached out to Solving Kids’ Cancer UK and a member of the 2k team visited Luke with a special in-development version of the game, making Luke among the first few people in the world to have the chance to play. He is now forever immortalised in the game with a special tribute – his name engraved on a tree within the game.
Gail Jackson, CEO Solving Kids’ Cancer UK, said “Seeing Luke’s wish realised has had a profound effect on both our charity, our work and our supporters. Luke had wisdom beyond his years, in part because of the long and difficult journey he faced as a teenager and young person.”
He was absolutely committed and passionate about the work of Solving Kids’ Cancer, being a voice for children and ensuring that there were funds available for children and young people like him to support their wellbeing and physical needs.”
Luke’s self-made slogan - Big Love, only love, always love – has inspired the name of this special fund and the Big Love Fund is here for all families of children and young people affected by this devastating disease.”
Solving Kids' Cancer UK is a small but mighty charity with children firmly at its heart. We are fighting for a future where no child dies of the childhood cancer neuroblastoma or suffers due to the treatment they receive. Every year around 100 children and their families receive a neuroblastoma diagnosis. Neuroblastoma is a rare and complex childhood cancer, around 90% of neuroblastoma cases occur in children younger than 5 years of age. It is the most common cancer in infants. Despite the most intensive, toxic and painful treatment, survival rates remain as low as 40%, and 1 in 2 children will go on to have a relapse in their disease. Those who do survive often suffer lifelong side effects from the treatment they receive. A diagnosis of neuroblastoma is devastating for families and presents complex challenges that impact every aspect of family life. This is the reality we are fighting to change, we do this by focusing on the three main pillars that underpin our vision - Research, Support and Awareness .
We are a children’s cancer charity, and we are striving for better outcomes for children and families affected by the childhood cancer, neuroblastoma, both now and in the future. We are passionate about speeding up pioneering clinical research that will improve outcomes for all children affected by cancer. As a parent-led charity we are committed to using our influence and reputation alongside our accredited research funding framework to make a difference. Our Family Support Service provides emotional, practical and financial support to families across the UK and Ireland. We are a voice for children and their families and through our advocacy and awareness work, we focus on improving the care and support of children with cancer in the present as well as driving sustainable change and improvement to outcomes in the longer-term.
We align with the following UN Sustainable Development Goals:
