Angela Constance MSP & Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care visit Jaks Den on 10th Anniversary

Angela Constance MSP & Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care visit Jaks Den on 10th Anniversary

MSP, Angela Constance and the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care Neil Gray MSP visited Jaks Den in Livingston to mark 10 years as a registered charity in Scotland.

Angela Constance ‘MSP for Almond Valley’ commented.

“I was pleased to visit Jak’s Den in Livingston with Neil Gray MSP ‘Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care’ as part of their 10-year anniversary to discuss how best we can continue to support the charity as they look forward to the future”

 “Jak’s dream to bring the community together in such a positive way has demonstrated what a remarkable young man he was. Jak’s legacy has touched so many lives, thanks to his remarkable vision for improving services for others.”

 “Jaks mum Allison has shown incredible strength in making Jak’s dream a reality’. Both have inspired so many people to support their work and over the course of a decade have supported more than 500 families with bespoke emotional, social, and practical support, all borne through lived experience.”

 “I have been particularly impressed with the determination and drive of staff and volunteers to make Jak’s Den a reality. With 5 pop-up Dens now throughout Scotland, Jak’s legacy has reached many more young people and families to ease the fear, confusion and loneliness of a cancer diagnosis or bereavement and ensure no-one feels isolated or alone”

 Allison Barr ‘Chief Executive at TEAM JAK Foundation’ commented

 “It was an honour and privilege to have a very special visit from Neil and Angela on Friday to mark our Ten Year OSCR registration.

 “It meant the world to have the recognition from such prestigious MSPs.”

 “Having created our charity at the request of my inspirational 15-year-old son Jak before he died it has been a privilege and honour to watch it grow and see all the amazing services we now provide as a result of one young person lived experience and backed up by the Scottish Government's Childhood Cancer plan and identified gap in emotional support, alongside social and practical.”

 Schools outreach has been another amazing development for us over the last ten years- having supported a small number of schools initially when one of our children was sadly dying to now when we are currently not only supporting schools with children sadly dying and have died but also those returning to school, and also in a generic wellbeing sense through our Bag of Worries and Bag of Hope programmes of bespoke wellbeing support.”

“Thanks to you we will be able to continue to create smiles and ease the journey and we hope that in another ten years we will have grown even further and are creating smiles for many more young people and their families throughout Scotland- reaching every single person who needs us.”

 “Here’s to Jak and his amazing legacy- and to all our superhero warriors’ siblings and angels now and always”

ENDS
 

Contact: angela.constance.msp@parliament.scot

NOTES

• Jaks Den is a legacy to Jak – Thanks to Jak - So many young people’s lives and their families have been made a little easier during a very difficult and traumatic time.
• Jak’s Den offers emotional, social and practical support to children and young people age 0-25 with cancer and related illnesses from all over Scotland.
• Bespoke emotional, social and practical support, all borne through lived experience
• Jak’s Den now has 5 Dens across Scotland.
• Jaks Den have drop-in sessions, music therapy, counselling, pamper days, alternative therapies, activity days including cake decorating, puppet making, magic shows, teen days (including Xbox and PS4 challenges) arts and crafts, coffee mornings, bespoke support groups for all, homework support and much more.
• This year, the charity hosted a "Bee Happy" themed event to celebrate a decade of support for children and young people with cancer and their families. They are also encouraging people to donate, wear blue, and consider donating items to the Rainbow Cart through their Amazon Wish List. 
• Background - Jaks journey - https://www.teamjak.org.uk/jaks-journey

• Events