£2.7m Raised to Support Thousands Through Chai’s For All to ‘C’ Campaign

Chai Cancer Care’s For All To ‘C’ Campaign has achieved a remarkable £2.7million towards its £4.1 million annual running costs, made possible by an unforgettable weekend of community events and an extraordinary 36-hour matched funding effort.

This year’s campaign gathered pace quickly on Thursday with 15,000 newly designed ‘Bags for Chai’, including a mini version which flooded kosher supermarkets, restaurants and shops. On Thursday night, a packed-out Whisky Evening set the tone for the days ahead. With a high-energy dinner, tastings, raffle and auction, supporters filled central London for a high-spirited night of ‘Chai Spirits’.

Momentum continued to build in vibrant fashion on Friday 5th December, as thousands of children in primary schools across the UK took part in ‘Mad Hair Day’ to champion Chai’s work. Alongside this, Chai Shabbat was held in 200 synagogues, where specially branded ‘L’Chaim’ kiddush cups helped spotlight the organisation’s extraordinary impact.

Over the weekend Street Lane Bakery in Leeds put a delicious twist on the campaign with a special purple Chai-themed doughnut, with proceeds donated to support Chai’s vital work.

A full calendar of crowd-pulling events kept the energy high throughout the weekend, from Chai’s Young Professionals Ministry of Sound Challah Bake and the 5K Run Club, to a show-stopping Swinging Sixties evening, hosted by much-admired volunteers Lynne Silver and Andee Roback, alongside a Bingo afternoon in Glasgow, Poker night in Manchester and lively challah bakes in Manchester and Leeds.

Sunday morning saw the launch of the 36-hour matched funding campaign, with an incredible £1 million raised by 1:30pm. At the heart of the action, more than 100 children and their families supported by Chai filled the Hendon centre for the annual ‘Chai Kids Family Fun Day’. The centre buzzed with face painting, cookie decorating, hair braiding and football tricks, alongside a much-loved visit from Chai’s pet therapy dogs – Danny and Monty, highlighting just one of the many services available to Chai clients.

The campaign reached a powerful finale at 10pm on Monday night, with 224 dedicated team hosts having galvanised the community into action. More than 8,000 donations, beginning at just £5, helped propel the total beyond £2.68 million. These funds will go towards Chai’s 70 vital specialised services, supporting individuals and their families through every stage of the cancer journey.

Chai Chairman, Louise Hager MBE, commented: “We have been incredibly moved and energised by the extraordinary response from our community, especially in this challenging financial climate. The passion, generosity and unity shown throughout this campaign has been truly remarkable. It powerfully reflects both how vital Chai’s services are and how strongly our community recognises the specialised care we provide. We feel so blessed to have such wonderful team hosts, many of whom are clients themselves, our loyal supporters and our generous matchers, whose collective efforts have made this campaign such a success. As we receive no statutory funding, every single donation makes a real difference and ensures that Chai can continue to be there for each person who needs to turn to us.”

Chai Cancer Care relies on donations to meet its £4.1m annual running costs and does not charge for any of its services.