Here's How Billy's House Supports Children & Young People Most In Need

For over ten years, we have been proud to support the important work that Young Lives vs Cancer does through the sales of our Christmas Charity Packs. This month, we were grateful to receive an invitation from the charity to visit Billy’s house in Nottingham and learn more about the work that they do to support children most in need.

Many years ago, Young Lives vs Cancer was one of the first charities The Art File began fundraising for through the sales of our Christmas Charity Packs. Every year, 50p from the sale of every Christmas Charity Card Pack goes directly to the charity to help support them with their work. 

We’ve been thrilled to have donated over £150,000 to Young Lives vs Cancer over the years, and we’re dedicated to continuing our support going forward.

This month, we were grateful to gain a small insight into the work that Young Lives vs Cancer does by visiting Billy’s house, one of their 10 free accommodation houses located across the UK.

Young Lives vs Cancer supports children and young people with cancer (0-25 years) through their treatment and beyond. It is the only charity in the UK with specialist social workers who provide tailored support to children and young people with cancer, and their families.

The team at Young Lives vs Cancer becomes what the family needs – whether it’s guidance, emotional support or logistical help. Young Lives vs Cancer has a multi-faceted approach. They provide:

• Specialist social workers
• Emotional support
• Financial support
• Free accommodation
• Bereavement support

They also campaign to make changes happen so young people with cancer get what they need from systems that seek to support them.

Billy’s house opened in 2009 and is named after Billy Greenall. After having to travel miles to get to Nottingham University Hospitals Queen’s Medical Centre to receive treatment, his family decided they didn’t want others to have to do the same. He and his family tirelessly raised funds to make the Home from Home a reality and created what it is today – Billy’s house. Billy attended the home’s 10th birthday celebration with his family and friends who supported the creation of the Home from Home.

Billy’s house is a free accommodation house in Nottingham, located a stone’s throw away from one of the hospitals in the city. Any child or young person (and their families) travelling to receive cancer treatment in Nottingham or Leicester can stay at Billy’s house for free.

Every month, Billy’s house has at least 15 families visiting the house, staying for the day, weeks, months, or in some cases, visiting for years.

While at Billy’s house, the house manager will support the family by providing a key, settling them in, and offering guidance and support as needed. The house is kept spotless by two housekeepers, stocked with food and toiletries, and the Young Lives vs Cancer team will be on hand to support the family.

Joanna Beaumont is the house manager at Billy’s house, and said, “Billy’s house supports families that live a long distance away, and offers them home comforts whilst being treated at the hospital. It’s a nice, calm place for them to stay, eat, and relax away from the ward. It supports them while they're going through the most awful time.”

The team at Billy’s House are there for the family, helping to make a hard time easier by being someone families can lean on, talk to and ask for help from.

Alongside the Billy’s House team, a specialist social worker will support the child or young person with cancer when they are assigned to one of the three hospitals in Nottingham or at Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Specialist social workers support patients and their families following a diagnosis.

Tamsin is the team manager for the social work team for Leicester and Nottingham. She has worked for Young Lives vs Cancer for over 10 years, and she said:

“We help with all the non-medical aspects of getting a diagnosis and going through treatment. We try to reduce some of the pressure on families by providing emotional support, and we also look at reducing the financial impact on them.

"Young Lives vs Cancer is unique in providing a specialist Social Worker to support children and young people from 0 - 25 years, through their treatment and beyond, for up to a year. If a child or young person sadly dies, we also provide bereavement support to their families for up to 18 months."

Tamsin explains that there can often be complicated circumstances that families find themselves in when the cancer diagnosis is given. Some families may be working in the UK on a visa or have family abroad they need to try and bring over to the UK. Other families may have difficult family relationships or be experiencing domestic abuse. Some families are just about coping financially until the cancer diagnosis hits, and then find themselves struggling.

In these instances, the Young Lives vs Cancer team will work with these families to provide help, guidance and support. They are someone the family can lean on for all things, from applying for financial grants to navigating unfamiliar systems.

“It’s the big things that make a difference, like making sure that the family get the benefits they are entitled to and signposting them to the right advice so they can make the best-informed decisions that they can. It’s also the little things that help, like being able to say, ‘Why don’t you pop over to Billy’s house (from the hospital) and have a cup of tea, relax there for half an hour.”

It’s a little-known fact that not every hospital in the UK provides treatment for children and young people with cancer. This means that families may need to travel for hours to receive a diagnosis and treatment. Billy’s house and others like it mean that families don’t have to spend money on hotels or parking while receiving treatment for cancer.

Receiving a cancer diagnosis throws families into a world that they may know nothing about. Billy’s house and the specialist team support families as they transition into receiving cancer treatment and beyond. This includes emotional and logistical support, alongside guidance on benefits and funds available to help families through a most difficult period. 

Young Lives vs Cancer is a charity like any other, relying on donations and fundraising to keep doing the important work that they do. There are many ways to support the charity, from direct donations to fundraising events, buying their charity cards and volunteering with the charity.

When asked how people can help support Young Lives vs Cancer, Lucy, the Fundraising and Engagement Manager for East Midlands, said: “Fundraise! Anything that will fundraise. I say to people, what do you enjoy? Do the thing that you enjoy and put the fun in fundraising.

“You can volunteer with the fundraising team and become an ambassador for the charity. For Billy's house, we’re always looking for things that make the families’ lives better in an awful time. We have an Amazon wish list; we keep the kitchen and toiletries stocked. We’re grateful for anything that can make an awful time a bit more bearable.”

Some of the ways you can support the charity are:

• Direct donations
• Fundraising events
• Campaigning for change
• Volunteering
• Leaving a gift in your will

Visit the Young Lives vs Cancer website to find out how to make a difference and support the charity. 

Here at The Art File, we’ve been proud to support Young Lives vs Cancer for over ten years with our Christmas charity packs. If you’re looking to stock up on Christmas cards early, shop our collection below. 50p from the sale of every Christmas charity pack will go directly to Young Lives vs Cancer.