Yorkshire Cancer Research invites people to brew it for a Yorkshire free from cancer

Yorkshire Cancer Research is calling on all tea-makers and bakers to pop the kettle on and host a Big Brew for life-saving cancer research in Yorkshire.

The charity’s 2026 ‘Yorkshire’s Big Brew’ fundraising campaign encourages friends, family and colleagues to hold their own tea party or coffee morning and help bring new treatments and cures to people with cancer in Yorkshire.

Every 15 minutes, someone in Yorkshire is told they have cancer, and sadly, people in the region are more likely to have their lives cut short by cancer than almost anywhere else in England.  

Yorkshire Cancer Research exists to change this. The charity is funding £75 million of pioneering cancer research and services to help prevent, detect, diagnose and treat cancer more effectively in Yorkshire.

Whether it’s a workplace cake sale or a celebration at home with friends and family, every brew, bake and butty will support the charity’s mission to save lives in Yorkshire.

Those who sign up to join ‘Yorkshire’s Big Brew’ on the Yorkshire Cancer Research website will receive a free fundraising pack containing a selection of goodies needed to make their event a success, including balloons, bunting, cake flags and more. 

Enthusiastic baker Karen Wilson regularly brings her community together in Doncaster to help raise vital funds for ground-breaking cancer research in Yorkshire. The mother-of-four has organised 11 afternoon teas so far this year and hopes her next one will be a Big Brew to remember. 

Karen said: “I just enjoy making tasty things and inviting people around to eat them! It’s a couple of hours for everyone to have a catch-up and laugh over some good scones or a slice of lemon cheesecake. I’m a proud Yorkshire lass, and at these fundraisers you really get to see the friendliness and generosity of folks in our region.”

Every one of Karen’s bakes is made with love for her dad, Roy, who sadly passed away from bowel cancer in 2006.

Karen continued: “My dad was a keen fisherman and always used to pick me bags full of blackberries from the riverbanks for me to bake with. When we lived in the same village, he would pop in to see me every day for a chat and a cuppa. I miss not being able to do that with him anymore.”

“Before I began fundraising, I wasn’t aware cancer is worse in Yorkshire compared to other parts of the country and the work Yorkshire Cancer Research is doing to change this. By hosting a Big Brew, I’m not only doing something I love, but I can also support a vital cause.”

Since starting her afternoon tea events, Karen has learnt more about the pioneering bowel cancer clinical trials FOxTROT 2 and 3. Funded by Yorkshire Cancer Research and led by experts at the University of Leeds, these studies are exploring how giving different groups of people chemotherapy before surgery could reduce complications and the likelihood of cancer returning. The trials are helping bring gold-standard, potentially life-saving treatment to people with bowel cancer in hospitals across Yorkshire and beyond.  

Neil Preston, Director of Fundraising at Yorkshire Cancer Research, said: “Thanks to the generosity and dedication of fundraisers from across the region, Yorkshire Cancer Research is bringing world-leading cancer research and life-giving breakthroughs to people in Yorkshire. Every pound raised through a Big Brew helps researchers and experts find and bring new cancer cures and treatments to people in Yorkshire. Together, we can save lives in our region - one tea, coffee and bake at a time.”