About Us

 

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   WELCOME TO ALEC’S ANGELS

Registered Charity Number 1146145

This site is dedicated to the memory of a very special little person. We want his love and laughter to be shared amongst the people who helped him most.

 

Who was Alec?

Alec Jarvis was an exceptional child. Like so many he had a natural zest for life but Alec also had an extraordinary wisdom that allowed him to see the world around him as few adults can.

In February 2010 Alec was diagnosed with an astrocytoma, which is a tumour in the brain stem. Despite enduring intense examinations and treatment such as MRI, CT & CAT scans, biopsies, six weeks of radiotherapy and six months of chemotherapy Alec always remained cheerful and more concerned about the other children that he came across with cancer than himself.

 

Alec’s Angels Aims

The selfless concern was so inspiring to those that met him, that following his death, Alec’s father Brian set up Alec’s Angels to raise funds in support of other children and families going through the same agony of childhood cancer.

One of the aims as specifically requested by Alec was to make children suffering from cancer SMILE. The other is to support the families who, as Alec’s parents know too well, find some of the smaller things in life impossible to manage when dealing with childhood cancer.

To continue the Alec’s Angels quest we need your help. We hope you can come join us at one of our events soon to help raise money for these awesome guys that gave so much; Helen & Douglas House, and CLIC Sargent. It’s our time to give back!

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Amazon Smile

 
You can now register your Amazon account to Amazon Smile. If you select us as your designated charity, and shop through smile.amazon.co.uk (rather than the usual Amazon.co.uk site), Amazon will donate 0.5% of the product price to us directly! It’s great way to passively support us without having to give away any of your own money!

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WHAT WE HAVE BEEN UP TO RECENTLY

As the festive holidays approach, the Alec’s Angels committee are dedicated to giving a wonderful experience to the families faced with a holiday season spent at the Helen and Douglas House Hospice. Within just a few hours, the team transformed one of their lounge spaces into a Santa’s Grotto, complete with a new fireplace setting, Christmas tree, and a trail of fairy lights around the room. The team worked very hard to redecorate the space, and we are excited at the prospect of contributing to some great Christmas memories for the families staying here.

Our friend Gemma from the Hospice shared:

I just wanted to send a quick email to say a huge THANK YOU for all of the work on the AMAZING grotto. Your team has once again delivered more than we could have imagined. It is so beautiful and I honestly cant wait for Santa to be in there on Sunday!! All the staff that have popped over to have a quick look are so excited and think its magical (and that’s without all the lights on!!) You are all amazing and the work you do means so much to us.

The completed Grotto transformation of the Helen and Douglas House Hospice, completed by members of the Alec’s Angels team.

Recently, with thanks to the kind donations to the charity, Alec’s Angels are pleased to have been able to provide a total of £1500 in grants, shared between three families. Here’s a little bit about each donation:

Archie was diagnosed with infant ALL in October 2020 and has had an extremely difficult journey. Archie underwent a bone marrow transplant in Bristol in March 2021 and shortly after this relapsed and underwent CAR T cell treatment at GOSH. He sadly relapsed following this treatment in October 2021 and the family were advised that there were no curative but have recently been informed he will be eligible for a second transplant at Manchester Children’s Hospital. This is over 160 miles away from home and the family will be there for many weeks. Alec’s Angels were pleased to support Archie’s family by providing £500 worth of travel support for Archie’s older brother, Freddie, to visit the family via train frequently, whilst living at home with grandparents. This support will make a immense amount of difference to the family to assist with this travel and time together when Freddie, can visit.

Harrison is 5 years old and was diagnosed with retinoblastoma last summer having undergone intensive chemotherapy and surgery. The plan is for him and his two parents, two sisters to go to Manchester for approximately 4-5 weeks for treatment. They are supported with accommodation needs but the parking for them is £8 per day which during their time will be really costly along with any travel for dad to access work/girls to access school. The family reside in Oxford and its approximately 160 miles up to the Christie Hospital from their home address. Alec’s Angels have been able to support Harrison’s family with a £500 grant to support their travel to and from the hospital, to ensure the family unit stay together whilst Harrison is undergoing treatment, by covering the parking costs at the Christie Hospital.

Alec’s Angels are also working with a lovely young lady, aged 12, who is receiving treatment for an ependymoma and is due to be going to London for specialist proton beam treatment in the coming weeks. It is 75 miles away from home and the family will be reliant on public transport for any family visits or trips home due to there being no drivers in the family. Dad is a single parent and unable to work so unfortunately there income is impacted and the additional travel costs alongside family needs, housing and the rising energy costs are challenging. Alec’s Angels are supporting this family with £500 to go towards travel costs.

S is a young boy who was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2020 and is receiving ongoing chemotherapy treatment. Alec’s Angels is providing needed support to this family by providing access a play scheme in the summer holidays so he is able to spend time with other children, access a broad range of activities and have some fun. Treatment can leave him isolated from his peers and this is something which is particularly positive for his physical and emotional wellbeing.

Recently, Alec’s Angels have also begun to support a family from Ukraine, where their young boy has been undergoing chemotherapy treatment, and now receives this in Oxford. He loves animals and is very excited for a trip to the Cotswold Wildlife Park but is unable to walk and struggles to sit for long periods. In order for him to be able to go and meet the giraffes he needs a private Ambulance to transport him, which Alec’s Angels will fund.

Quainton Railway Centre Services Day 2024

The Alec’s Angels team were at Quainton Railway Centre on Sunday 8 May for the annual Services Day, and the visitors raised an amazing total of £211.75 by participating in our Teddy Tombola. Special thanks go to our team on the day of Ian, Alex, Jaicob and Brian.