I started Little Ripples because I have lived it. When I was going through cancer while parenting two school-aged children, I saw firsthand how little structured support existed for children navigating that experience. Not the patient. The child watching from the sidelines.

Every year, around 363,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in England (NHS England, 2023). Many are parents. Yet there is no national data on how many dependent children are affected, and almost no dedicated support for them.

Little Ripples exists to fill that gap. We will provide age-appropriate resources to help children understand and process a cancer diagnosis in their family, support parents to have those difficult conversations, and connect families to information and opportunities that strengthen emotional resilience. Our resources will be distributed directly through NHS cancer care teams, so they reach families at the moment they need them most. As we grow, we will offer online support, family webinars, and work with schools and healthcare professionals to build a wider network of understanding around every child we reach.

We are a charity in formation, about to register with the Charity Commission. This fundraise covers our essential startup costs, including developing our first resource packs, setting up our Family Experience Panel so that lived experience shapes everything we do, and building the digital tools to reach families across England.

Every pound raised goes directly into getting Little Ripples off the ground and into the hands of families who need us.

Every ripple starts somewhere. Help us begin.