Find Your Sense of Tumour
Find Your Sense of Tumour is a weekend event for young people who’ve had cancer. It’s a chance to connect with others your age who’ve been through something similar, build your confidence, try new things and have a laugh.
You are viewing: About the event
About the event
Find Your Sense of Tumour (FYSOT) is your chance to spend a fun, informative and inspiring weekend with other people your age who’ve had cancer too.
Take part in activities, speak to like-minded people, watch inspirational talks and build your confidence after treatment. There’s also plenty of time to relax and unwind.
If you’re aged 18-27 (or will be by Fri 28 Oct 2022)
Join us at our over 18s event from Friday 28 to Sunday 30 October 2022 at Yarnfield Park conference centre in Staffordshire, England. Pre-registration is now open!
Wherever you live in the UK, we’ll cover the cost of travel for you to attend. The event, accommodation and catering are also free.
Here are some things we have lined up for this year’s over 18s event to give you a flavour of the programme:
Friday 28 October
- Time to and relax upon arrival with some chill out activities
- Interactive sessions based on getting to know each other
- Evening entertainment with prizes!
Saturday 29 October
- The theme for the day is ‘Owning Your Cancer Experience’
- Keynote speeches from young people with cancer
- A variety of workshops – whether art, writing, wellbeing, confidence, music or something more active – we’ve got you covered!
- Find out about lots of other organisations that work with young adults with cancer
- Loads of fun and engaging ‘drop-in’ activities to take part in
- Evening entertainment including a ‘Taskmaster’ style session
Sunday 30 October
- Group sessions run by Teenage Cancer Trust staff on a range of interesting topics
- Young people and celebrity keynote speeches
- Moving forward, motivation, and next steps after FYSOT
- Activities to bring people together to reflect on the event and say goodbye.
Find Your Sense of Tumour is now back in person. We understand that everyone has different comfort levels, and you may feel a bit nervous about attending. We will do everything we can to keep you safe, and you’ll have your own private bedroom if you need some space.
If you’re under 18
Our next event for you will be in July 2023. We’ll share information on this page nearer the time.
Who can attend?
If you want to come to Find Your Sense of Tumour over 18s, you must:
- have been diagnosed with cancer (or still on active treatment) on or after your 13th birthday
- be aged between 18 and 27 by 28 October 2022
- have received two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine / 1 dose of Janssen or be medically exempt (with support from your consultant) by 12 October 2022
- have finished active treatment within the last two years, or be on maintenance treatment.
There are some exemptions that will be made for young people on maintenance treatment or palliative-stage patients if your treatment team feel it will be appropriate for you to attend. Get in touch with [email protected] if you would like to know more.
If you know another young person who meets these eligibility criteria, why not let them know about the event too? Just send them this link: www.teenagecancertrust.org/FYSOT
Apply nowI left feeling a lot more confident both to go and talk generally with people who I hadn’t met before, but also to open up about what I had been through.
Past FYSOT events
How do I apply?
If you’ll be aged 18-27 by 28 October, you can apply for the over 18s event right now. Fill in the pre-registration form by 11:59pm on Wednesday 14 September. It only takes 5 minutes to complete.
What next?
After we’ve received your pre-registration, we’ll check your eligibility with your clinical team. If they give the go-ahead, then we will send you a full registration form to complete, as well as asking your clinical team to fill in a medical form for you. Once we’ve received both of those, if everything is OK, then we’ll send you an email to confirm your place!
In line with our Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2022-24, we want to make sure that this event is as inclusive and accessible possible. We welcome, value and respect everyone no matter what your identity or background is and want you to be able to be yourself on this weekend. If there is anything we can do to make this event and the application process more inclusive for you, please let us know when you complete your full registration form.
If want to know more about signing up, your treatment team should be able to help, or you can email [email protected].
If you’re under 18, applications for our 2023 event will open next year.
Frequently asked questions
Please get in touch with [email protected] if you want to discuss your particular needs. Let us know if you need us to support you to fill out your application form. If you need a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or language translator, we can do our best to support this. We will work with you to make your attendance possible in any way we can – let us know!
The over 18s event is Friday 28 to Sunday 30 October 2022 at Yarnfield Park in Staffordshire.
The under 18s event is expected to be in July 2023 at Whitemoor Lakes in Staffordshire.
Under 18s
You’ll be in a shared dorm room with between 3-7 people. If you’ve travelled with a group, we’ll do our best to place you all together and male and female bedrooms will be separate. All rooms are en suite and there are no stairs because everything is on the ground floor.
Over 18s
You’ll be in individual rooms, all of which are en suite. There are lifts to all floors and accessible bedrooms are on the ground floor.
We understand and respect all gender identities including gender fluid and non-binary people who may access our services. Please do get in touch if you have any questions or worries about sleeping arrangements.
All attendees will be asked to take a lateral flow test (LFT) no more than 24 hours before arriving, which will be provided free of charge. LFTs will also be available throughout the event for anyone showing symptoms of Covid-19.
Masks and hand sanitiser will be available to anyone who wants them. All Teenage Cancer Trust, Group Leaders and Group Support staff will be double vaccinated.
Please note, we retain the right to tighten medical restrictions nearer the time in the event of a spike in Covid-19 cases and/or change in government guidelines.
Don’t worry. We will have a medical team from Central Medical Services on site all weekend and they can provide 24 hour medical support. If you are taking any medication, please remember to bring it with you. Medication must be in the original packaging with dispensing labels attached.
Of course – we wouldn’t want you going hungry! There will be dinner on Friday and Saturday, and breakfast and lunch on Saturday and Sunday. Every meal will be buffet style so you should find something you like.
Just let us know when you apply to attend and we’ll take care of it.
Yes, there will be a quiet room available for you throughout the day or you are welcome to go back to your room as and when you need to. If you are returning to your room, please speak to your Group Leader so we know where you are so we can make sure you’re safe.
We would suggest that you bring layered comfortable clothing for when you are in the accommodation, coat and boots if you want to venture outside and something for the evenings. Bedding and towels are provided.
Other essentials to bring are toothbrush/paste, sun cream, shower gel, shampoo and conditioner as these are not provided. Please make sure you bring all the medication you require for the weekend. Medication must be in the original packaging with dispensing labels attached.
That’s entirely up to you, soft drinks and tea and coffee are provided throughout the day, however there is a Costa at the over 18s venue you may wish to buy a drink from.
Oh yes, we love a bit of fancy dress at Teenage Cancer Trust. We’ll all be slipping into our costumes for the activities on Saturday night so check out this year’s theme with your Group Leader and get creative! If nothing else, it’s a good chance to laugh at how silly we all look…
It is optional though, so if you prefer to come just as you are, that’s also fine. We want you to be as comfortable so just do you!
If you’re going with a group from a Teenage Cancer Trust unit, you’ll travel there together with your Youth Support Coordinator or Group Leader. If you’re coming on your own, get in touch by emailing [email protected] and we can help you make travel arrangements.
It’s a varied schedule, with talks from some amazing people, workshops, activities and entertainment in the evening. So we have different external speakers and facilitators joining us throughout the weekend.
There are lots of activities going on all weekend, but it’s not all cancer based, so don’t worry about it being too heavy. You can sign up to the things that interest you most. You can also take some time out away from the people and action if you want.
Over 18s
Yarnfield Park is a conference centre with plenty of space. It has chill out areas, complimentary therapies, loads of workshops, yoga and crafts.
Under 18s
Whitemoor Lakes is an outdoor activity centre so we will be making some of their outdoor activities available on the Saturday afternoon if you want to join in. Alternatively, you can experience some complementary therapies, workshops, craft or just chat.
No! This is your weekend, so you can do as much or as little of the activities that are available. It’s totally up to you. You can go for a walk around the amazing grounds or there is a chill out space if you fancy some quiet time. We just want everyone to get as much out of the FYSOT experience as possible.
Yes. Both venues have wifi.
Yes, you can. There are loads of exciting things going on during each day, so please make sure you take time to check them out.
Many young people come to the event not knowing anyone but always tell us how much they enjoy connecting with other young people and some even leave with lifelong friendships! Please don’t worry about not knowing anyone – you will be in a group from your region and your Youth Support Coordinator/Group Leader will help you get to know each other quickly.
Our events are strictly alcohol free and soft drinks are provided.
This is because not everyone can drink alcohol after treatment – and some people choose not to – so we want the event to be fair for everyone.
Having attendees drinking alcohol would also make it difficult for us to safely run the event. We will unfortunately have to confiscate any alcohol brought on site.
The way we currently run FYSOT is that hospital staff such as your nurses and YSCs sign up as Group Leaders and take responsibility for the group of young people they bring over the weekend. This includes travelling to/from FYSOT. We are looking at ways in which we can make changes to this approach in the future to ensure more young people can attend the event.
You can apply independently, and we will try and accommodate your request, but you will still be placed with a hospital group for the duration of the event.
Sometimes it’s because there isn’t hospital staff available that weekend (they might be on holiday) or there isn’t someone employed in that role at the hospital at that time and we’re looking for someone to take on their job. We are looking at ways in which we can make changes to this approach in the future to ensure more young people can attend.
Normally this is because the event is oversubscribed and unfortunately only so many young people can go from each region, each year. Your Group Leader will have a limited number of places and they often receive more sign-ups than they can accommodate. Your Group Leader will have fairly prioritised places based on the information in the application forms. Please contact them if you have any questions about this.
Frequently Asked Questions for parents and guardians
They will get to take part in a guided programme of activities that will help build their confidence and includes plenty of time to spend with other young people to share experiences and build connections. It’s a unique opportunity to surround themselves with like-minded young people who understand what they are going through and an event we’re sure your child will benefit from as they can choose the activities and sessions that are most relevant and helpful to them.
Don’t worry. We will have a medical team from Central Medical Services on site all weekend and they can provide 24 hour medical support. If your child is taking any medication, please remind them to bring it with them. Medication must be in the original packaging with dispensing labels attached.
Staff will be aware of your child’s psychological needs in advance and are trained to spot signs where a young person may need help.
Contacts for the event team will be shared with attendees before the event, so you can ask them to share it with you if you want. You can also call the venue (Yarnfield Park) on +44 (0) 1785 762605 and they can pass a message onto the event team.