Charity Overview
Willow is the only UK charity dedicated to providing uplifting and unforgettable special experiences for seriously ill 16 to 40-year-olds. Each experience is tailored to offer a sense of escape at a time when it’s needed most – creating precious memories with loved ones during some of life’s most difficult moments. Whether it’s a family getaway, a day of pampering, or tickets to a long-awaited event, every experience offers hope, respite, and a reminder of the joy life can still hold.
Project Summary
Thanks to the incredible support of ICAP, Willow was able to provide 70 special experiences in 2024 for seriously ill young adults living with incurable cancer. These experiences gave individuals and their loved ones a rare chance to step away from the demands of treatment and focus on what really matters – making precious memories together.
Ashley, 35, is living with incurable breast cancer. For over six years, cancer has been part of daily life for her, her husband Alex, and their two children, Mia and Oscar. Their Special Day included a visit to a safari park and a surprise afternoon tea with pop star Duncan James, giving the family time to focus on each other and enjoy a rare moment of normality together.
Cancer has been a part of our daily lives as a family for over six years. Some days it sits quietly in the background other days it’s loud and in your face. As a family, we’ve always approached Ash’s cancer journey by searching for the positives whilst supporting each other through the negatives. No matter whether it’s a quiet or loud kind of day, it’s not something you forget about or get a break from very often. But Willow gave us the opportunity to do just that and have a break from it all. A time to silence cancer and celebrate an incredible woman and two unbelievably brave kids while enjoying a bit of normality as a family. To see the kids smiling from ear to ear and the joy in Ash’s face the whole time was truly magical.Alex
Ella was diagnosed with metastatic bowel cancer aged just 39. We were contacted by one of the palliative care nurses at her hospital who told us that Ella had hoped to attend Glastonbury Festival, but it had been deemed impossible as she was too ill. Our coordinator, Mary, worked with Ella's friends and family to arrange Ellafest - her very own festival at home.
Ella passed away just a couple of months after her Special Day, making EllaFestall the more meaningful for her friends and family who got to enjoy it with her.
I had so much fun at EllaFest. I have always wanted goats and never thought I would get the chance to be with them. The photo booth was amazing, and being able to capture those special memories has been incredible. The entire experience was incredible, and I've had such an amazing time.Ella
When Jake 24, from Tyne and Wear had a relapse after a diagnosis of a brain tumour in 2019, Willow organised a Special Day for him in London which he shared with his parents Beverley and Vernon and his sister Teagan.
Being told my cancer had not only relapsed but was now incurable was such an upsetting shock for me. Follow-up surgery to my spine and radiotherapy have left my pain in the lower back and hair loss on my head which has impacted my confidence. My mobility has also been affected which makes a lot of aspects of my life more difficult. My Special Day was a chance for me and my family to escape the day-to-day routine of life and to get the stress of my diagnosis away from our thoughts. We were able to make great memories in London with the highlight of the trip being able to have tickets to see Arsenal beat Tottenham in the North London Derby.Jake
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