About Willow Foundation

For young adults living with cancer and other serious diseases, a break from the distressing routine of illness and treatment can make a huge difference to the quality of that person's life.

Whilst there are many organisations working to grant a wish to seriously-ill children, older teenagers and young adults have until now been all but forgotten. The Willow Foundation is committed to making a difference to the lives of those young people who are at an age when they should be at their most vital.

They and their families need an escape from the day-to-day problems that long-term illness brings with it.The Willow Foundation is dedicated to giving "Special Days" to seriously ill young adults aged between 16 and 40.

It could be treatment with a beauty therapist or a day at a health farm; a visit to a pop concert or football match; a night at the theatre or even a much longed-for weekend break - any request, however imaginative, is considered, and the Foundation does its best to make that request a reality.

We help overcome problems with style: transport can be by limousine, queues are avoided with VIP passes and stairs and other difficulties are overcome with planning for easy access.  The excitement of the day gives something exciting to look forward to and leaves memories that can help through painful times and difficult treatment, and will stay with their families forever.

Our history

The Willow Foundation, spearheaded by Bob Wilson and his wife Megs, is a lasting memorial to their daughter, Anna, who died shortly before her 32nd birthday from a rare form of cancer in December 1998.

After Anna's death, Bob and Megs approached hospitals and hospices to see what help they could best give to other young adults dealing with long-term illness. They were told that although the medical profession could provide the diagnosis and the treatment, they could not provide the quality of life, so important to those in the prime of their life, trying to cope with life-threatening illness.

They set about forming an organisation, which would offer recipients the chance to achieve an ambition, fulfil a dream or simply a chance to do something normal. The Willow Foundation was launched on August 25, 1999.

"Anna was an amazing girl with a vibrant personality", says Bob. "She lived her life to the full. She always smiled and particularly when she became ill, she smiled even more. She wanted quality of life, quality of time. She wanted to be treated as normal. The more we lived with Anna's cancer the more we realised that special days can often do more than conventional medicine."