Companies are increasingly seeking to make a tangible social impact through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and employee engagement initiatives. Partnering with a charity offers a mutually beneficial arrangement, providing employees and customers with a cause to rally around while simultaneously generating vital exposure and financial support for the charitable organization. However, the true measure of an effective partnership lies not in the category a charity occupies, but in the demonstrable difference it makes. At Leukaemia Care, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals affected by blood cancer throughout their lives, including children and their families, this principle is paramount.
The Hidden Impact: Leukaemia Care’s Support for Young Patients
A common misconception is that Leukaemia Care is exclusively a children’s charity. While a significant portion of their work is dedicated to pediatric care, this narrow perception can inadvertently exclude them from potential corporate partnerships that are seeking to support younger demographics. This oversight, while understandable given traditional charity classifications, may be preventing businesses from identifying the most impactful partners capable of delivering their desired social outcomes.
Recent data from Leukaemia Care highlights the substantial role children and young people play in their support network. In the 2025-2026 period, a remarkable 63.4% of applications for their CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy support service were for individuals aged 18 and under, with the average age being a mere nine years old. CAR-T therapy represents a cutting-edge treatment that re-engineers a patient’s own immune cells to target and destroy cancer. For many blood cancer patients, it offers a transformative, life-altering treatment option. However, the highly specialized nature of this therapy often necessitates significant travel for patients and their families. During the same 2025-2026 period, the average distance Leukaemia Care patients and their families traveled from their homes to the nearest hospital offering CAR-T treatment was an astonishing 113 miles.
While these figures represent Leukaemia Care’s patient cohort and not the national total of children receiving CAR-T therapy, they starkly illustrate the profound challenges faced by families navigating access to specialized medical treatment away from their support networks. The NHS has identified Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great North Children’s Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital as the three primary centers for pediatric CAR-T services in England.
Addressing the Travel Burden: A Partnership in Action
Leukaemia Care does not directly provide CAR-T therapy. Instead, through a strategic charitable partnership with the Dalata Hotel Group, they are able to alleviate some of the considerable travel and associated expenses for parents and families who are undertaking these extensive journeys. This support is crucial for families grappling with the dual pressures of managing work, household finances, and the needs of other children at home, all while their child undergoes critical treatment.
When Treatment Demands Travel: The Hotel Accommodation Support
The logistical and emotional toll of being away from home for extended periods for medical treatment is immense. Finding suitable accommodation, managing daily meals, and maintaining everyday responsibilities add significant stress to an already difficult situation. In the 2025-2026 reporting year, 13 out of 64 applicants under the age of 18 utilized Leukaemia Care’s hotel accommodation service, resulting in 254 nights of accommodation across various locations. Some stays extended for up to 31 nights, underscoring the prolonged nature of treatment and the vital need for this support.
This is precisely where the concept of "impact" takes tangible form. Dalata Hotel Group’s contribution extends far beyond a simple website listing or fundraising participation. They leverage their core business resources to provide essential services to those most in need. For these families, the partnership ensures a safe and comfortable place to rest, eat, and recover between hospital appointments, allowing a parent to remain close to their child during this critical time.
The UK government has recognized the severity of this issue. The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, pledges up to £10 million annually to assist children and young people with cancer and their families in meeting travel costs, with the scheme slated for implementation by 2027. This commitment was informed by findings from the 2024 Under-16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey, which revealed that 37.6% of respondents reported journeys exceeding an hour to reach the hospital where their child received the majority of their care.
While this governmental initiative is a positive stride, it addresses only one facet of the multifaceted challenges. Charities and their corporate partners can and do play a complementary role, providing essential support services that are intrinsically linked to the clinical treatment journey, especially when that treatment necessitates displacement from home.
The Business Opportunity: Beyond Financial Contributions
The overarching lesson for businesses is that a corporate partnership can offer far more than just financial donations. The most valuable contributions are those that align with the specific needs of the beneficiaries and the unique capabilities of the partnering organization. A retail company, for instance, might leverage its supply chain, distribution networks, product offerings, or extensive customer reach. A hospitality business, as demonstrated by Dalata Hotel Group, can provide accommodation, meals, or meeting spaces. An employer might offer specialized professional expertise, allocate paid employee volunteering time, or facilitate opportunities for colleagues to engage in fundraising and awareness-raising activities.
Furthermore, organizations across a wide spectrum of sectors, including logistics, finance, technology, construction, and professional services, have the potential to utilize their expertise to support families of children requiring specialized medical care.
The fundamental opportunity lies in meticulously matching a business’s core strengths with the genuine needs of a charity and its beneficiaries. For CSR, ESG, sustainability, and HR leaders, forging effective charity partnerships can simultaneously advance multiple business priorities: fostering community investment, enhancing employee engagement, and demonstrating a commitment to social impact. Crucially, it is vital to be able to articulate and quantify the tangible changes brought about by a partnership, ensuring that the contribution is sustained beyond a one-off campaign.
While the funds raised, the number of volunteers mobilized, or the hours contributed are undoubtedly valuable and warmly received by national charities, understanding the qualitative impact of that support is equally, if not more, important. In essence, what is the demonstrable difference made in people’s lives?
There is also a significant opportunity to involve employees more deeply in understanding this impact, moving beyond a primary role in fundraising. When employees gain a nuanced understanding of the practical hurdles families face when their child requires specialized medical care, they can develop a more profound connection to the cause and a clearer appreciation of how their contributions translate into meaningful outcomes.
Rethinking Charity Selection: Impact Over Categorization
Children’s charities undoubtedly perform an invaluable service, and there is no inherent flaw in a business choosing to support one. However, the critical question is whether an exclusive focus on "children’s charities" inadvertently excludes organizations that also provide vital support to younger patients, thereby limiting potential impact.
Blood cancer does not discriminate by age; its impact is felt across all age groups, and the support required by individuals does not cease at the age of 18. A charity operating across a broad age spectrum can deliver specialized services that profoundly benefit children while simultaneously supporting parents, partners, and other family members affected by the same diagnosis. Leukaemia Care’s experience strongly suggests that businesses could broaden their search for the ideal partner by focusing on the specific outcomes they wish to achieve, rather than prematurely narrowing their options based on broad categorical definitions.
At Leukaemia Care, the aim is to ensure prospective partners understand that supporting individuals of all ages does not diminish their capacity to positively impact children. Instead, it is an integral part of their ability to comprehensively support families navigating the diverse challenges that blood cancer presents.
The most successful and impactful corporate partnerships are typically those where a business clearly understands a genuine need, brings a valuable and relevant resource to address it, and can effectively demonstrate the positive difference that contribution makes. This approach fosters a deeper, more meaningful, and ultimately more impactful relationship that benefits all parties involved.
