How We're Supporting OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity
Living North's chosen charity for this year's Christmas Fair is OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity
The charity was established in 2014 in memory of nine-year-old Oscar Hughes from York, the son of CEO Sharon Reid’s friend Marie and her husband Ian. ‘Though created in Oscar's memory, we serve any child across the country facing a brain tumour,’ Sharon says. ‘I've been with the charity since its founding, initially as Chair of the Board of Trustees, before becoming CEO in 2023.’
OSCAR's aims to raise awareness and funds research to reduce diagnosis time, increase survival rates, and improve quality of life during and after treatment. The team provide practical and emotional support to families facing a child's brain tumour diagnosis. ‘In the last three years alone, we've helped over 100 families with services including physiotherapy, speech therapy and counselling,’ says Sharon. ‘At the moment, we are helping 10-year-old Lucy, who has multiple brain tumours and associated epilepsy. We were able to source and fund occupational therapy support to help her develop essential skills for daily activities, giving her more independence and improving her quality of life. Through the generosity of one supporter, we funded an adapted bike so she could continue with an activity she loves despite mobility issues.’
The charity’s Booster Boxes are specially-curated gift packages for children and their siblings, tailored to each child's interests and treatment stage. 'These boxes contain age-appropriate toys, games, books, art supplies and comfort items selected through conversations with families to ensure they feel personal,’ Sharon adds. ‘Many families tell us these boxes bring much-needed moments of happiness during difficult times.
‘Our support extends to schools, where we help teachers adapt to a child's brain tumour diagnosis. We guide them on managing returning pupils' specific needs, conduct awareness sessions for classmates to build understanding, and help children continue their education during and after treatment with minimal disruption. We worked closely with seven-year-old Billy’s family and school community when he entered palliative care, ensuring his siblings, classmates, parents and teachers had support during his last days – and we continued to do so after his passing in June 2025. We also provided mental health support for Billy’s older sister. Additionally we're committed to advancing research into paediatric brain tumours and have invested over £250,000 in innovative projects aimed at improving diagnosis times, treatments and quality of life for affected children.’
Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in UK children. ‘Our work is crucial locally because families often face so many additional challenges on top of a cancer diagnosis, which adds to their emotional and financial burden,’ says Sharon. ‘We're the only charity in the region specifically focused on children's brain tumours, so we fill a critical gap in specialised support services that address each family's unique needs, offering personalised care that might not be available elsewhere. A family got in touch recently to say that after their son Robbie’s surgery and chemotherapy, he had to learn to walk again. We funded sessions to help with his physical rehabilitation. Recently, we received a lovely picture of him balancing on a beam at the gym – a significant milestone in his recovery journey.’
You can support OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity and its vital work in several ways, including through donations – even small amounts make a significant difference to the families the charity supports. Volunteering is also key; they’re always looking for volunteers to help at events. Fundraising (via bake sales or sponsored challenges and everything in between) helps to raise vital funds but also helps to spread awareness. ‘Simply sharing our story helps us reach more families who need support,’ says Sharon.
To find out more about the charity and its work in our community, you can meet the team at Living North’s Christmas Fair at York Racecourse from 20th–23rd November, where we’ll also be raising money for the charity. ‘Visit our stand at Living North’s Christmas Fair to hear stories of the incredible children we've supported,’ says Sharon. ‘We’ll be selling Christmas cards designed by the children we support, as well as Christmas baubles. One of the cards was designed by a girl from our region who lives with her brain tumour and needed both mental and physical support. We funded one-to-one swimming lessons as she was nervous about being in a group setting. We also identified local mental health sessions that could help her, and when her anxiety prevented her from travelling there independently, we funded taxis to ensure she could attend regularly. All the money from the sales of the cards and baubles go straight back into helping more children like her. We're also running a raffle with fantastic prizes donated by local businesses. It's a perfect opportunity to meet our team, learn about our work, and discover how you might get involved. We'd be delighted to chat with anyone interested in our charity's mission.’
– Fast Facts –
• 35 children are diagnosed with a brain tumour each month in the UK.
• One percent of the national spend on cancer research is allocated to this disease.
• Brain tumours are the biggest cancer killer of children and under 40s in the UK.
