Hope In Action
The power of your support
Here at Velindre Cancer Charity, we are proud to support the life-changing work of Velindre Cancer Services.
By investing in supportive care services, empowering Velindre’s staff to become future leaders, funding innovative technologies, and driving forward transformative research and clinical trials, we are making a real difference to those affected by cancer in South East Wales and beyond
- Patient and Family Supportive Care and Wellbeing
- Developing the Leaders of the future
- Cutting-Edge Equipment, Environments and Technologies
- Ground-Breaking Research and Clinical Trials
Areas We Fund
Patient and Family Supportive Care and Wellbeing
These services provide a lifeline to patients and families facing the wide-reaching impacts of a cancer diagnosis. By supporting Velindre Cancer Charity, you give patients the emotional, physical and practical support they need throughout every step of their cancer pathway.
You help us fund:
- An entire team of clinical psychologists and counsellors, including a dedicated staff psychologist, providing essential one-to-one care for patients and staff.
- Children and family resources like specialist education books, lion teddies, toiletries, new pyjamas and digital devices to keep in touch with loved ones.
- Multi-faith services, including a fully funded chaplaincy, and the cost of any special occasions like weddings, anniversaries and birthdays.
- Wig vouchers and headscarves for patients experiencing hair thinning or hair loss.
- The Arts in Health welfare programme, which focuses on positively impacting the mental health and wellbeing of patients, families and staff through artwork and dedicated creative activities and spaces.
- 3 complementary therapists and a dedicated on-site therapy room.
- The Patient Engagement Team and Velindre Volunteers Programme
Anita’s story
During Anita’s treatment at Velindre, she found strength in the incredible support of a Clinical Nurse Specialist, along with our dedicated counselling and psychology services. These made a profound difference to her emotional and physical wellbeing, offering a vital lifeline through her most challenging moments.
Enhancing Wellbeing Through Creativity
The charity-funded Arts in Health programme has grown into a vibrant range of creative activities that support the mental health and wellbeing of patients, families, and staff. Wales is recognised as a global leader in advancing Arts in Health, and our team at Velindre is proud to be at the forefront — championing its powerful benefits every day.
The Vital Role of Complementary Therapies at Velindre
The Charity is proud to fund the complementary therapies team here at Velindre. This unique service provides holistic, non-medical interventions that complement clinical treatment and care. These therapies can sometimes be the difference between a patient feeling comfortable enough to receive their treatment that day.
Developing the Leaders of the Future
As the Hospital of Hope, our staff are at the heart of what we do. Your support allows us to invest in their growth, providing opportunities, specialist roles and innovative projects that drive excellence in cancer care.
Some of the roles you fund:
- 50% of all Clinical Nurse Specialists at Velindre
- Supportive Care Lead Nurse, Michele Pengelly
- Patient Information Support Manager, Leigh Porter
- Welfare Rights Advice roles
- The Velindre Oncology Academy team, partly funded for 3 years to deliver the launch of the educational programme
- Clinical research roles and professorships
- 3 PhD roles in healthcare research and 1 PhD role in lung cancer research
- The Arts in Health Coordinator, Sally Thelwell
Rhod Gilbert’s Journey with Velindre
Beloved comedian and long-time Velindre patron Rhod Gilbert became a patient himself after a stage four cancer diagnosis in 2022. His powerful journey highlights the life-saving care provided by Velindre’s team—and the vital role of charity-funded services in every step.
Ceri Stubbs Awarded Doctoral Studentship at Velindre
Ceri Stubbs, a Nurse Consultant Acute Oncology at Velindre, has been awarded the charity-funded Doctoral Studentship in Cancer Care. Her PhD research explores why cancer patients delay seeking help for treatment side effects, aiming to improve early intervention and patient outcomes.
Nick’s Cancer Journey and the Lifesaving Care at Velindre
Diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer, Nick O’Donnell underwent life-saving immunotherapy at Velindre. Now cancer-free, he praises the compassionate care he received and is dedicated to fundraising, inspired by his family and driven to give back to the hospital.
Cutting-Edge Equipment, Environments and Technologies
Your support helps to fund cutting-edge equipment, enhanced environments and innovative new technologies that deliver the latest treatments and care to patients, as well as improving their experiences at the centre.
You help us fund:
- Two dedicated family and relative rooms providing a safe space for quality family time in a non-clinical setting
- All maintenance of hospital gardens and green spaces to provide relaxing outdoor environments for patients and staff to enjoy
- All Velindre’s scalp-cooling machines
- A Pre-agreed Supportive Care Escalation Plan project, using QR code wristband technology to improve quick response care for palliative patients
- The state-of-the-art Cardiff Cancer Research Hub, hosting some of our leading clinical trials and treatments.
The Stonehouse Family’s story
Dean’s family, friends and colleagues think about him every day. During his time at Velindre, the support of a Clinical Nurse Specialist — along with access to our dedicated family room — gave the Stonehouse family a comforting space to spend precious time together and create lasting memories they will always cherish.
The Ramachandran Family
In 2019, Vinod’s wife and Avyakta’s mother, Saujanya, was diagnosed with cancer. For Vinod and his family, Velindre Cancer Centre and the charity soon became a beacon of hope during the most challenging time of their lives.
Transforming Palliative Care with Technology: QR Code Wristbands at Velindre
A charity-funded project at Velindre is pioneering QR code wristbands for palliative care patients, giving emergency responders instant access to vital medical information.
Ground-Breaking Research and Clinical Trials
Every year, we invest over £1 million into pioneering research and clinical trials, providing hope to patients and their families. Together, we will put Velindre and our patients at the forefront of cancer research in Wales—working towards a future where we achieve Victory Over Cancer.
We proudly contribute funding to over 40 active clinical trials, including:
- QuicDNA lung cancer research project.
- FAKTION breast cancer clinical trial.
- PEARL head and neck cancer clinical trial
- Concorde lung cancer trial
- HIT Meso lung cancer clinical trial
- APPROACH brain tumour clinical trial
- A personalised colorectal cancer vaccine clinical trial
- and so many more!
Transforming lung cancer care with rapid diagnosis and treatment
Velindre Cancer Charity is proud to provide funding for the incredible QuicDNA project. By incorporating liquid biopsies into lung cancer assessments, this technology offers a faster, less invasive method of gathering vital information, meaning earlier lung cancer detection and the potential for life-saving treatment.
FAKTION will have a monumental global impact
The world-renowned FAKTION trial started as an idea, born out of a conversation over 10 years ago between three people in a room in Cardiff. Fast forward to 2025 and the research from this ground-breaking trial being rolled out to patients at Velindre and other UK clinics as a transformative new breast cancer treatment.
Shaping the Future of Cancer Care: Inside the Cardiff Cancer Research Hub
The Cardiff Cancer Research Hub is transforming cancer care in Wales. Through groundbreaking clinical trials, expert collaboration, and patient-centered innovation, the Hub offers faster access to treatments, tackles health inequalities, and builds a brighter future for cancer patients and their families.
Get Involved
Become a monthly donor
By donating monthly to Velindre Cancer Charity, you enable us to invest in the future of our patients and their families.
Leave a legacy gift in your will
Leaving a gift in your will to Velindre Cancer Charity can make a lasting difference to the patients and families who depend on our services.
Sign up to a Velindre event
Whether you’re an intrepid trekker, mad about cycling, or you just like a good walk around the park, there’s an event for everyone. We’d love for you to join #TeamVelindre!
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We need you to join us in achieving
ictory Over Cancer