Charity Matters

Doing it for Daisy

We were delighted to welcome the family and friends of Daisy May Catterall to UCLH earlier this year to see the impact of the incredible fundraising they are doing in her memory. Daisy died last February aged just 25 from haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) a rare and devastating immune condition, about which little is known. Her loved ones are raising funds to support research into HLH, and in January, came to UCLH from their home near Cirencester, to meet Dr Jessica Manson and her team who are leading extensive research into the condition. We would like to thank the amazing team #DoitforDaisy who are continuing to raise funds through half marathons, full marathons, quiz nights and so much more. Donations currently total over £52,000. You can find out more and donate to #DoitforDaisy by visiting the JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/page/rachel-catterall-1 UCLH is home to the unique multidisciplinary HLH service and is a hub for advice and support for healthcare professionals working across the NHS. Earlier this year Dr Manson and the HLH team led a UCLH Charity funded forum, which brought together clinicians from across the UK to have discussions about how HLH diagnosis, treatment and care could be improved for the increasing numbers of patients hospitalised with this condition.

Continuing to thrive – the UCLH gardens programme

Research shows that access to nature and outdoor space has an enormously positive impact on health and well‑being. UCLH is fortunate to have a number of green spaces offering a moment of calm and relaxation away from busy clinical spaces, for patients and staff. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, including an extraordinary £1 million donation from the Oak Foundation, UCLH’s gardens and green spaces are thriving. Over the past two years, the gardens have been redesigned, replanted, and are now flourishing havens for patients, staff, birds and pollinators. Carol Haraldsson, head of charitable giving said, ‘The Oak Foundation’s enormous support is an incredible legacy gift that ensures UCLH’s hospital gardens will be looked after for years to come.’

Supporting pioneering cancer care

Here at UCLH Charity we are supporting pioneering cancer care, which includes the CAR-T programme. CAR‑T cell therapy uses a patient’s own reprogrammed immune cells to target cancer. This personalised treatment has already transformed outcomes for certain blood cancers, offering hope to patients who have not responded to conventional treatment. Thanks to the generosity of donors, UCLH Charity has now raised over £3.3 million to support and expand this pioneering work. Following the opening of the Sir Naim Dangoor Centre for Cellular Immunotherapy, further funding is helping speed up CAR‑T manufacturing and drive vital research into applying CAR‑T to solid tumours such as liver cancer. 2025 saw much progress for the programme, with several key milestones reached:

• CAR‑T therapy was approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for B‑cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, enabling more patients access to treatment across the NHS.

• UCLH delivered the UK’s first CAR‑T treatment for lupus nephritis, offering new hope for people with severe autoimmune disease.

• A patient at UCLH became the first in the UK to receive CAR‑T therapy for multiple sclerosis as part of a clinical trial. Emily Henders, 37, said: “I hope taking part in the trial means I will never have to experience another relapse and that my MS symptoms will not progress. I know it is still experimental but it offers a scientific rationale which, as a biology teacher, makes sense to me,”.

• UCLH appointed its first medical oncology consultant in cell therapies, Dr Masie Al Bakir will be driving forward research into CAR‑T for solid tumours. “The number one goal is to cure more people with cancer. We think cell therapies have the potential to do that. We hope to see the same kind of success in solid tumours as blood cancers,” Dr Al Bakir said. “We are very hopeful for the future.”

“This growing programme is pushing the boundaries of personalised medicine and bringing new options to patients who urgently need them. Donor support continues to play a crucial role in accelerating this life‑changing work.” - Dr Claire Roddie, associate Professor at UCL and consultant haematologist at UCLH

Children’s cancer appeal

On World Cancer Day in February we launched the Children’s cancer appeal raising funds to improve the radiotherapy unit at University College Hospital, to make it more child friendly for the thousands of children who visit the department each year. Among the donors were the Woerner-Peacock family who generously donated £20,000 to the appeal after their son, Ruben received radiotherapy as part of his treatment for a brain tumour at UCLH. Presenting their donation they said, “Looking back, radiotherapy was definitely the hardest part of Ruben’s treatment, which is why we want to help alleviate the trauma other children have to go through.”

Supporting the Lighthouse

In 2025, UCLH Charity pledged to raise £100,000 to support the UCLH Lighthouse – England’s first Barnahus (“Child House”) model service to support children and young people in their recovery from sexual abuse or exploitation. Barnahus brings medical, therapeutic, social care and police support together under one roof, reducing the need for children to repeat their story and creating a safe, trauma‑informed environment. Thanks to generous support from trusts and foundations, we reached our £100,000 target. Effi Stergiopoulou, strategy manager from The Lighthouse said, “ We are so grateful to the donors of this appeal. These donations have been used to provide the continuity of care, sustaining services like parent support courses and roles including the clinical psychologist.” In December 2025, the government announced £50 million to expand the Lighthouse model across England—an endorsement of the team’s remarkable results. Since opening in 2018, the service has supported around 3,000 children and young people through coordinated, specialist care.