14 September 2020

Barclays to make £100k donation to support digital future

Teens Unite is one of 100 UK charities to be awarded a £100k donation from Barclays which will help us to continue supporting young people fighting cancer. 

Charities were invited to apply for one of 100 donations of £100,000, and Barclays were inundated by hundreds of applications from charities across the UK who are struggling to deliver on-the-ground support to vulnerable communities impacted by the crisis.

Barclays launched their 100x100 UK COVID-19 Community Relief Programme to support COVID-19 relief work in local communities. The programme, which forms part of their wider COVID-19 Community Aid Package, focuses on supporting UK charity partners who are meeting the immediate needs of people in our communities, including low income families, those facing financial hardship, isolated elderly people and key workers.

Teens Unite supports 13 to 24-year-olds living with and beyond cancer with a range of activities aimed at helping them live life to the fullest despite their diagnosis. Due to the pandemic, all of our face-to-face activities had to be stopped meaning vital support for young people struggling was under threat. 

All of our activities are now being delivered via online sessions and, despite the crisis, we have been able to increase our support from four face-to-face activities per month to four digital sessions every week. Barclays’ donation will help to ensure that we can continue to offer crucial support online and meet the ongoing needs of young people living with cancer. 

With a recorded 66% increase in registrations from young people looking for support during the crisis period, additional funding is critical in enabling Teens Unite to continue to be there for vulnerable young people.

Roxanne Lawrance, CEO, Teens Unite said: “At Teens Unite, we empower the young people to become so much more than their cancer diagnosis. We have more than 1,000 young people currently registered with us, with more signing up every day. The impact of the coronavirus has left the charity facing a 75% loss of income this year but has also affirmed our strategy to create an even better, more inclusive, differentiated charity supporting even more young people battling the long-term effects of cancer.  Our priority is to develop our digital delivery program to run alongside our traditional face to face deliveries, ensuring that young people no matter where they are in the UK or where they are on their cancer journey are able to benefit from our Positive Steps program. The Barclays donation is providing us with a lifeline that will make it possible for us to continue to be there for young people at a time when they need us more than ever before.”

Nigel Higgins, Barclays Chairman, said: “COVID-19 has created an unprecedented social and economic impact in the UK, with many experiencing greater hardship due to the crisis. Incredible charities, such as Teens Unite have been playing a vital role in the UK’s response to the pandemic, ensuring urgent help reaches those most in need of support. As a bank we have been doing all we can for our customers, clients and colleagues, and we hope that by partnering with Teens Unite and many other charities across the UK, collectively we can ensure that as many people as possible in the communities in which we live and work are supported through this crisis.”

As a result of cancer treatment, 80% of young people will suffer from depression and anxiety, 95% will experience a negative impact on their physical ability and 74% are worried about their future employment. Teens Unite supports young people to overcome these lasting effects, and show them what they can do, not what they can’t.