On the 31st May 2024 our amazing volunteer Graham and Oa, our founder, set off from Little Lifts HQ to deliver our 20,000th Box to Addenbrooke’s Hospital with our very proud team waving them off.
We’re small but mighty for a reason! Starting from Oa’s, kitchen table to now delivering kindness across the UK. The last (nearly) 7 years has seen a lot of change for Little Lifts. Up until late 2020, the team consisted of just two people – Oa and Kay, we now have 8 amazing Little Lifts staff; Shopie, Lizzie, Frannie, George, Hannah and Anya. In the third year we delivered 754 Boxes despite challenges because of the pandemic. Fast forward to this year where we have gifted nearly 4,000 Boxes in the first 5 months of the year.
Oa was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 28 in 2014. Little Lifts was founded three years later, inspired by the kindness Oa received by her friends and family during her breast cancer treatment.
Our support will always be inspired by the way the gifts Oa received during her treatment made her feel. We want every person receiving treatment for breast cancer to feel prepared, thought about and loved.
That’s why Little Lifts Gift Boxes are jam-packed with practical items and mood boosting goodies to help alleviate the side effects of treatment.
We have three Boxes; our original Box – the Chemotherapy Box, our Radiotherapy Box and our Surgery Box (which is currently being piloted at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital).
Each Box is curated by people with experience of breast cancer, with hand picked items to help with the specific side effects of each treatment. Our volunteers help to ensure that every Box is hand packed with love, they even add a hand signed note so our beneficiaries know who was behind their Box.
We have ten hospital partnerships across Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and Cambridge. Here, anyone receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer will receive a Little Lifts gift Box automatically.
Across the UK we support people through our Little Kindness Fund. Anyone receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy treatment for breast cancer outside of our partner hospitals can apply for a Little Lifts gift Box free of charge online and we post their Box to their door.
We also work with hospitals across the UK and have developed a Medical Professional Form meaning medical teams can apply on behalf of their patient.
We couldn’t do what we do without our amazing Little Lifts Community. Every single act of kindness means that we can continue to grow our support and impact.
Behind every Box there is a beneficiary, a person, with loved ones, going through breast cancer treatment. All 20,000 Little Lifts gift Boxes have support someone practically and emotionally, giving them a little lifts when they needed it most.
Community is at the core of Little Lifts and it represents the long lasting impact of a Little Lifts Box. Every person in our community helps us to gift Boxes. Behind every Box are volunteers, beneficiaries, supporters, patrons, ambassadors, fundraisers, donors, corporate sponsors, hospital teams, trustees and small but mighty team.
A BIG thank you to each and every one of you!
This year marks a key year for both Little Lifts and our founder, Oa, as it is her ten year cancerversary. Reaching the milestone of 20,000 Boxes is significant to our small but mighty team as we strive to gift a further 10,000 Boxes in the year of 2024.
‘It was only in March 2023 that we delivered our 10,000th Box, so to deliver our 20,000th Box just 14 months later is a huge achievement for our small, but mighty, charity. Behind every Box is a person affected by breast cancer, who we hope feels more prepared, thought about, and loved during their breast cancer treatment. Ten years ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer and six weeks later I began chemotherapy treatment, it was a very overwhelming and difficult time for me and my family. It’s the kindness I received from family and friends that inspires Little Lifts today and I am so thankful to Little Lifts and all the people involved for playing a massive part in my recovery. To every beneficiary, fundraiser, volunteer, donor, corporate partner, Ambassador, Patron, individual, business, supplier and hospital partnership who wholeheartedly support Little Lifts, thank you! We see every day the power of kindness, but we still have a long way to go to ensure that all 55,000 women and 400 men diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK every year can receive a Little Lifts Box. Feedback, like Saba’s is what drives us to realise our vision:
“In this Box, I found not just well-crafted essentials but a reservoir of hope, care, and the affirmation that I am not alone on this journey.”
Every day, I feel so grateful that I get to work with an energised, passionate, thoughtful, and fun bunch of people who all share the same vision and drive to spread kindness to those affected by breast cancer. Special thanks also go to my Board for providing guidance, support, and a safe space to share ideas.’
Oa’s Ten for Ten Challenge launched to raise both awareness and funds, as well as to help us support people affected by breast cancer with a further 10,000 Little Lifts Boxes this year:
‘I wanted to mark this milestone by raising awareness and to celebrate all that Little Lifts has achieved during this time.
Fundraising activities are often challenges, as they convey the level of resilience a person facing cancer may have to endure.
That’s why a series of little (and not so little) challenges felt like the best fit for this fundraiser.’
Oa kicked off her ten challenges with The Big Dip and running 10k in a giant Little Lifts Box at our Trail Run event, raising £3,328. There is lots more to come over the year, so keep an eye out for more challenges!
We cannot thank you all enough for helping us in our mission to spread support, love and kindness.
If you would like to help us on our mission of supporting every person in the UK receiving treatment for breast cancer check out our get involved page and help make a difference.
Little Lifts
Extras
Contact us
01603 740361
hello@littlelifts.org.uk
Little Lifts
Bowthorpe Hall Norwich NR5 9AA
Website designed by Manifesto Studios
Little Lifts is a registered charity in England
and Wales (no. 1170737).
© Little Lifts 2025
