Companies are increasingly prioritizing meaningful social impact through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), and employee engagement programs. Partnering with charities often presents a "win-win" scenario, offering employees and customers a cause to rally behind, while providing vital exposure and financial support to the charity. However, the true measure of these collaborations should be the tangible difference they make, rather than the predefined category a charity occupies. Leukaemia Care, an organization dedicated to supporting individuals affected by blood cancer across all life stages, including children and their families, highlights this critical distinction.
While Leukaemia Care provides comprehensive support, its work with younger patients is not always the immediate focus for prospective corporate partners. This is understandable, as many companies may have policies that favor exclusively children’s charities. However, this narrow focus could inadvertently exclude organizations capable of delivering significant and much-needed impact. The organization’s latest figures underscore the substantial role children and young people play in their support network.
The Unseen Burden of Childhood Blood Cancer Treatment
In the 2025-26 period, a striking 63.4% of applications for Leukaemia Care’s CAR-T (Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell) therapy support service were for individuals aged 18 and under. The average age of these young patients was a mere nine years old. CAR-T therapy represents a cutting-edge treatment that harnesses a patient’s own immune cells, genetically modified to identify and combat cancer. For many children battling blood cancer, it offers a potentially life-altering therapeutic option. However, this highly specialized treatment often necessitates extensive travel. During the same period, Leukaemia Care patients and their families faced an average travel distance of 113 miles from their homes to the nearest hospital offering this advanced therapy.
These statistics, while specific to Leukaemia Care’s beneficiaries, shed light on the considerable challenges faced by families when accessing specialized medical care away from home. The NHS in England has designated Great Ormond Street Hospital, Great North Children’s Hospital, and Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital as key centers for pediatric CAR-T services. This concentration of expertise means that many families must undertake significant journeys to ensure their child receives the best possible care.
While Leukaemia Care does not directly administer CAR-T therapy, its partnership with the Dalata Hotel Group exemplifies how corporate collaboration can alleviate the immense burden of travel and associated expenses for families navigating these long distances. These families are often simultaneously managing work commitments, household finances, and the needs of other children at home, compounding the stress of a child’s serious illness.
When Treatment Necessitates Extensive Travel
The logistical and financial strain of finding accommodation, arranging meals, and maintaining everyday responsibilities can add a profound layer of pressure to an already distressing situation. In the 2025-26 reporting year, 13 of the 64 applicants aged 18 and under utilized Leukaemia Care’s hotel accommodation service, accounting for 254 nights of stay. Some families required accommodation for up to 31 consecutive nights, illustrating the prolonged nature of treatment and the necessity of being close to the hospital.
This is precisely the kind of tangible impact that goes beyond a simple financial contribution or a logo placement. Dalata Hotel Group, by leveraging its existing resources, provides a crucial lifeline for families in dire need. For these families, the provided accommodation offers a safe haven for rest, meals, and recovery between hospital visits, enabling a parent to remain by their child’s side throughout this challenging period.
The significance of addressing travel costs for young cancer patients has been acknowledged at the highest level. The National Cancer Plan for England, published in February 2026, commits up to £10 million annually to assist children and young people with cancer and their families in meeting travel expenses, with the scheme slated for implementation by 2027. This policy was informed by the findings of the 2024 Under-16 Cancer Patient Experience Survey, which revealed that 37.6% of respondents had to travel for more than an hour to reach the hospital where their child received the majority of their care.
While this governmental initiative represents a positive stride, it addresses only one facet of the multifaceted support required. Charities and corporate partners play a vital complementary role in providing essential services that accompany the clinical treatment of children receiving care away from their homes.
The Strategic Opportunity for Businesses
The core lesson for businesses seeking impactful charity partnerships is that their contribution can extend far beyond financial donations. The most valuable support often stems from aligning a company’s unique capabilities with the specific needs of the charity’s beneficiaries. A retail company, for instance, might leverage its supply chain, distribution networks, products, or extensive customer reach. A hospitality business, as demonstrated by Dalata, can offer accommodation, catering, or event spaces. An employer can contribute professional expertise, provide paid volunteering time for staff, or facilitate opportunities for colleagues to engage in fundraising and awareness campaigns.
Similarly, organizations across diverse sectors such as logistics, finance, technology, construction, and professional services can harness their specialized knowledge to significantly aid families of children requiring specialized medical support. The key lies in strategically matching a business’s core strengths with the genuine needs of a charity and the individuals it serves. For CSR, ESG, sustainability, and HR leaders, these partnerships offer a multi-faceted approach to achieving business objectives, including community investment, enhanced employee engagement, and the demonstrable showcasing of social impact. Crucially, the success of such partnerships should be measured by the sustained positive change they effect, rather than relying solely on one-off campaigns.
While fundraising totals, volunteer hours, and employee participation are valuable metrics and are always welcomed by national charities, a deeper understanding of how this support directly benefits individuals is equally, if not more, important. This necessitates a focus on the demonstrable "impact."
Furthermore, there is a significant opportunity to involve employees more deeply in understanding this impact, moving beyond their traditional role in fundraising. When employees gain insight into the practical challenges faced by families whose children require specialized care, they can develop a more profound connection to the cause. This deeper understanding fosters a clearer appreciation of the tangible difference their contributions make.
Rethinking Charity Selection Policies for Maximum Impact
Children’s charities undoubtedly play an invaluable role, and there is no inherent issue with a business choosing to support one. However, the critical question is whether a rigid "children-only" policy should automatically preclude organizations that also provide vital support to adults. Blood cancer affects individuals across all age groups, and the support required does not cease at the age of 18. Charities that operate across a broader age spectrum can deliver specialized services that profoundly benefit children while simultaneously supporting parents, partners, and other family members impacted by the same diagnosis.
Leukaemia Care’s experience suggests that businesses could significantly enhance their search for the ideal partner by focusing on the specific outcomes they wish to achieve, rather than prematurely narrowing their options based on a charity’s primary focus. At Leukaemia Care, the aim is to ensure prospective partners understand that supporting individuals of all ages does not diminish their impact on children. In fact, it is precisely this comprehensive approach that enables them to effectively support families navigating the diverse challenges that blood cancer presents.
The most successful and impactful corporate partnerships are typically those where a business deeply understands a genuine need, brings a unique and valuable resource to address it, and can demonstrably articulate the positive change that contribution has brought about. This holistic approach, prioritizing demonstrable impact over predefined categories, ensures that corporate social responsibility initiatives are not just about good intentions, but about achieving meaningful and lasting good.
This article was authored by a representative from Leukaemia Care, offering an expert perspective on corporate charity partnerships and their impact on supporting individuals and families affected by blood cancer.
