Hello!

I'm turning 50 in a few weeks and people have been asking about gifts! For the man who has everything, if you so desire, please donate a few pounds to this amazing charity - Team Jak!

Team Jak is a Scottish Charity which provides emotional, social and practical support to children and young people with cancer and related illnesses, their family, friends and those bereaved.

The inspiration behind Team Jak came from Jak Trueman himself, in the final months before he passed in 2015 aged 15.

Jak believed no one should face cancer and related illnesses alone. While he praised the medical care he received, he saw an urgent need for emotional, social, and practical support, for himself, his family, and for others like him. His goal was to create a safe haven away from the rigours of treatment and hospital wards. A place filled with joy, comfort, and connection. A place to just be.

He envisaged a Den, somewhere everyone affected by a serious childhood diagnosis — children, young people, their families and friends — could take a break. A very special space delivering the mix of emotional and social support he had identified as needed, backed up by the Scottish Government’s Childhood Cancer plan and the gap in psycho-social support .

Sylvie, Gill, and I visited Jak's Den this year and were blown away by the charity, facilities, and the amazing volunteers.