Teenage Cancer Trust and Morgan Stanley charity partnership raises £1.4 million

Over £800,000 of the money raised by the partnership, which draws to a close this month, is being used by Teenage Cancer Trust to help develop a brand-new ward for young patients and a new waiting space at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH).

Once complete, the new ward will become a relaxing and welcoming environment for young people, their families and friends, which feels more like home than a hospital ward. Carefully designed with the help of the patients, the space will include high quality kitchen facilities, audio visual entertainment and comfortable seating.

In a different part of the hospital, the money raised will enhance a waiting space for young people undergoing proton beam therapy. Within this waiting space, there will be a quiet area, study area and TV and gaming facilities to make young people’s hospital experiences as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Already in place thanks to Morgan Stanley’s fundraising efforts, are three specialist Teenage Cancer Trust Nurses for London and the South East, with a further post being recruited, which will mean for the first time ever the charity will be able to reach every young person with cancer in the region to provide age-appropriate care.

And because the partnership exceeded its original fundraising target of £1m it has also been able to employ four Teenage Cancer Trust Youth Support Coordinators in London to provide vital emotional support and organise social activities that bring young people with cancer together, helping to reduce the isolation and loneliness a diagnosis can bring.

In addition to the incredible sum raised, Morgan Stanley employees have volunteered over 1,500 hours of their time to support Teenage Cancer Trust.

This includes Morgan Stanley’s senior employees providing mentoring to the charity’s nurses in leadership skills and managing conflict, employability workshops for young people, and the senior management team at the charity receiving strategic support.

Kate Collins, Chief Executive, Teenage Cancer Trust, said:

“Being diagnosed with cancer as a teenager or young adult is devastating. But getting the right support at the right time can make all the difference, so the work our partnership with Morgan Stanley is funding will change lives.

“It means that in the future every young person with cancer in London and the South East will have a nurse to turn to for care and support when things get tough. And that hospital-stays and appointments will be as comfortable as possible.

“So, a huge and heartfelt thank you from everyone at Teenage Cancer Trust to every single Morgan Stanley employee who has run, cycled, baked and climbed in order to raise this incredible amount. What you have managed to achieve is amazing and will continue to benefit young people with cancer for many years to come.”

Piers Harris, Head of Fixed Income Capital Markets EMEA at Morgan Stanley and Trustee of the Morgan Stanley International Foundation said:

“I’m incredibly proud of all the Morgan Stanley employees who dedicated their time and expertise throughout the partnership. We hope the funds raised and the connections made will contribute to the lasting legacy Teenage Cancer Trust has created to ensure young people never have to face cancer alone.”