Why I called Michael Gove to ask for some dosh for the teenage cancer trust

Is locking down again the right remedy for Britain, or will it only add to this country’s suffering in the long-term? It’s certainly been a disaster for many British charities — one report earlier this year estimated that there would be a £12 billion black hole in funding. And it’s been catastrophic for the charity I support: the Teenage Cancer Trust, which provides bespoke care for ill teenagers.

An awful lot of people have heard of the Teenage Cancer Trust — but there’s something about teenagers that means they don’t pull at people’s heartstrings the same way that children do, so raising money is that bit more difficult. You could say that teenagers don’t have the ‘Bambi effect’. When it comes to children under ten people think ‘God, what a shame’ and the money flows in. But five years later, when they are nearly six foot tall, it becomes a different ball game. Teenagers’ health complaints are too often dismissed as simply overdoing it or having growing pains. This means, unfortunately, that they often get diagnosed late. It’s also likely that many may have gone undiagnosed during lockdown. We just don’t know the number yet.

The Teenage Cancer Trust is a classic example of something the government should be doing. Instead it’s a charity and we have to raise the funds. Every year we make millions of pounds by holding shows at the Royal Albert Hall (a week of events there can raise up to £2 million), and through various other community fundraisers such as treks, runs and swims. But because of current restrictions, all these avenues are closed to us. We’ve had a brutal drop in income of £6 million. If we don’t make up this shortfall, it could mean that we are forced to reduce our support for teenagers with cancer or stop services entirely.