Yorkshire Choice Awards celebrate £19k fundraising success for children with cancer

The Yorkshire Choice Awards are celebrating a milestone of £19,244 raised for Yorkshire children’s cancer charity Candlelighters at this year’s awards.

This year’s event, which took place in June, celebrated inspiring achievements from across the region, with awards for Local Fundraiser of the Year, Yorkshire Entrepreneur of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year, to name just a few.

Each year, the event also supports a charity, raising funds on the night to benefit good causes in the local community. This year, the chosen charity was Candlelighters, which supports the families of children and young people with cancer in Yorkshire.

Melanie Malcolm and Jo Maltby, Directors of the Yorkshire Choice Awards, visited the Candlelighters family support centre last week to present the team with the money raised.

They stated: “We are incredibly proud to have raised £19,244 for Candlelighters, our chosen charity after they won the Yorkshire Choice Awards Charitable Excellence Award 2025.

"The support for our chosen charity is incredible year after year, and this year was no exception. A huge thank you to everyone who donated and helped us raise such a fantastic amount for Candlelighters and the wonderful work they do.”

Emily Wragg, CEO of Candlelighters, said: “Each year, 150 families in Yorkshire receive the devastating news that their child has cancer.

"Candlelighters exists to bring comfort and care to these families, offering emotional, practical and financial support that brings light in the darkest of moments.

"We receive no government funding, which is why the incredible funds raised from the 2026 Yorkshire Choice Awards will make such a difference to the families we support.”

The achievement is made even more special as this year, Candlelighters celebrates its 50th anniversary, and the Yorkshire Choice Awards celebrates its 10th.

Emily continued: “The amazing amount raised could fund over 1,100 hours of support from our dedicated Family Support Workers, based at Leeds Children’s Hospital.

"They provide a lifeline to families – giving practical and emotional support from the moment a family walks through the hospital doors.

"We are hugely grateful to everyone involved in making the event such a success and ensuring our support for children and families can continue.”

One parent, Emma, shared the difference this support made when her son, James, was diagnosed with a brain tumour, aged just 8.

Emma said: “In hospital, we met one of the Candlelighters Family Support Workers, and she was so lovely.

"She explained what the charity does and what they could support us with. We’d already been through so much, and we had no idea what was going to happen next.

"The fear of the unknown is awful. So then to be told that there’s this amazing, fantastic charity that was there to help us, we were so grateful. We truly appreciated that support at such a difficult time.”