We’re here for Teenage Cancer in Wales
April is Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Awareness Month (TYACAM) – an opportunity to raise awareness of the unique challenges facing teenagers and young people with cancer.
About 2,300 teenagers and young adults are diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK*. Latch is currently providing support and services to 37 teenage and young people aged 15 -18 and a further 39 aged 12-14.
Here at Latch, we have been listening to our children and young people and in January 2026, we launched a specific teenage social group, giving our teenagers opportunities to meet with their peer group, form new connections with others who have been on similar journeys to themselves.
On 19th January, we launched our first collaboration with the Teenage Cancer Trust and held a joint social night out for teens aged 14+. It was a small group, with four teens. We met at the Cosy Club for food in Cardiff, giving everybody the opportunity to meet one another and gain a better understanding of the types of activities and events that they would like moving forwards. Hayley, Latch social worker and Anna, TCT youth worker were very impressed at the mature attitudes of all the group, how well they mixed, shared experiences and were open about their journeys. We then had some fun at Tree Tops Adventure Golf, where there were some competitive players…. And that wasn’t just the teenagers!
We held our second activity on 23rd March at Pizza Express in Cardiff. This was another small group of four, after two had cancelled due to personal circumstances. This group was aged 13+ and was made up of three of the same teenagers and one new member. Again, the group were dynamic in conversation and had fun creating some lovely pizzas! Hayley and Helen, Latch social workers were impressed at both the culinary and communication skills of the group!
Cancer is the most common cause of death from disease in young people. However, things are improving with 87% of teenagers and young adults are now cured, compared with fewer than 2 in 10 (less than 20%) in the 1960s*.
Childhood cancer can affect all aspects of your life, physically, emotionally and socially. Often, we are told that children and teenagers feel isolated and that their friendships change throughout their treatment. Having peer support will enable our teenagers the opportunity to connect with others that have walked a similar path, offering them emotional and practical advice and support from one another and a shared sense of strength and resilience.
Some feedback taken from the group on 23rd March is that the peer groups give them “time to meet new friends that you can really relate to, outside of a hospital environment and without parents present!” The group also feel that peer social events allow them “space to reflect and share tips that may help each other.”
Our next teen event (12+) will take place in late May then a 14+ event in collaboration with Teenage Cancer Trust is planned for early July. Invitations and save the dates are usually sent a few weeks before. This collaboration will support our slightly older teenagers, with transitions to the Teenage Cancer Trust and hopefully allow the group to meet with others that is sharing a similar journey to themselves. If we can support our children and teenagers to develop new connections and friendships, we believe that this will help them throughout their journeys and beyond.
Search #TYACAM to follow along and find out how charities are raising awareness and how you can get involved this April.
Teenage and Young Adult Cancer Stories
* More information and incidence rates can be found at: https://www.cclg.org.uk/about cancer/cancer-children-and-young-people/children-and-young-peoples-cancer-numbers
