The Kids Cancer Charity has been gifted a brand new caravan at Lydstep Beach Village, Lydstep Haven, from The Kentown Wizard Foundation.

The opening and handover took place this week.

The Kids Cancer Charity, formally known as Christian Lewis Trust, has been caring and supporting families affected by cancer for over 25 years. Since 1989, this small Swansea-based charity has helped over 4000 families and gained UK-wide recognition for its work and activities.

In 1988, a group of parents and supporters came together following the tragic news that four-year-old Christian Lewis had been diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. They worked to raise money to send him and his family on a lifetime trip to Disneyworld, Florida. As they became more involved with the family, so they discovered that there were some shortcomings in the local health and care services throughout Wales; when it came to providing help and support to families who were trying to cope with the unthinkable.

The decision to do something to help culminated several months later with the launch of the Christian Lewis Trust Children’s Cancer Charity in May 1989. Christian had died in the January.

As the charity says on their website: “We believe that quality of life for children with cancer is a right and that to work with them and their families is a privilege.” The charity philosophy on support is that it is all about continuity no matter what the prognosis.

Accordingly, the range of services includes play therapy where children affected by cancer and their siblings can tackle the deep issues connected with a cancer diagnosis through their natural medium of play and bereavement support which helps children/teenagers to cope with the prospect and the results of grief.

The Kids Cancer Charity is probably best known for their holiday programme which includes luxury, static caravans on specially chosen sites situated on the coast in Wales, where families can get away from the pressures of hospital and treatments. In addition, resort holidays in both Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland Paris where the Charity has partners able to provide a unique programme of supervised and special facilities.

The aim is to provide memories intended to last for a lifetime. “When the holiday gets close and that large white envelope pops through the letterbox, the excitement really begins”, writes one of the families on the charity’s website.

Kids Cancer charity has now been chosen by The Kentown Wizard Foundation to be gifted a fabulous new caravan situated in the beautiful Lydstep Beach Village.

Ken Townsley’s story is remarkable.

Ken started work at Blackpool Airport at the age of 15 as a traffic department apprentice, doing everything from handling luggage to shipping cargo. From that early age, he had a love of travel and in 1970 he opened his first travel shop in Church Street, Blackpool, with just two members of staff.

Forty years later, Gold Medal Travel Group was Britain’s largest privately owned tour operator and when Ken sold out to Thomas Cook it was widely reported that he walked away from the deal with £87m.

If Ken’s story were to end there, it would be extremely impressive, but the next part of his story is even more remarkable.

In 2015, Ken set-up The Kentown Wizard Foundation, a charity which focuses on children and young adults who are suffering from serious illness or disability, and he has since donated or pledged in the region of £100 million to the Foundation.

The assets Ken has gifted to the charity will generate substantial annual income in perpetuity and the trustees intend to donate this income on an ongoing basis to other UK registered charities whose objectives and values are aligned with those of the foundation. The overriding aim is to give grants where they are most needed and where they will have the greatest impact on the lives of children and young people with serious illnesses and disabilities

Ken’s story is truly inspiring - a man from humble beginnings who has achieved massive personal success and wealth and who is now using that wealth for charitable purposes to benefit the lives of others.