Huddersfield’s Ella Dawson Foundation Founder & CEO Wins True Grit Award at BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders 2025 Event

The Ella Dawson Foundation is delighted to announce that its Founder & CEO, Jane Dawson, has been honoured with the True Grit Award Yorkshire and Humberside at BusinessCloud’s Northern Leaders 2025 ceremony. This prestigious accolade recognises a leader who, through personal adversity, inspires meaningful change and delivers lasting impact for others. The award recognises Jane’s  contribution to the charity sector and the wider business community.

The prestigious BusinessCloud Northern Leaders Awards 2025 celebrates outstanding leadership and innovation across the North of England.

Jane co-founded the Ella Dawson Foundation alongside her husband, Kevin, and their younger daughter, Tash, in memory of their 24-year-old daughter Ella, who passed away following two years of treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. During her treatment, Ella identified a critical gap in the mental, physical, nutritional, and wellbeing support available to young adults navigating cancer. Ella used her diagnosis to create a blueprint for specialist care to empower young people, help them manage the unique challenges of cancer, and rebuild their lives beyond treatment.

The Ella Dawson Foundation brings Ella’s vision to life.

The charity’s mission is to ensure that every young adult aged 18–30 diagnosed with cancer – and their families and carers – has access to the tailored tools and support they need to live well and feel empowered. Through its four core programmes, Feel Well, Move Well, Live Well, and Eat Well, the charity provides vital, often unavailable support at a time when it is most needed.

Since launching in 2022, the Foundation has supported more than 2,000 young adults and their families and is now a trusted referral pathway for over 90 hospitals across the UK, ensuring timely, effective support locally, regionally, and nationally. Additionally, the charity has funded the first ever full time Teenage and Young Adult Complementary Therapist at The Christie, Manchester, initially a one year pilot and first of first of its kind in the UK helping to give young people and their families the tools they need to navigate cancer as a young person.

The charity delivers clinically significant outcomes and is frequently described as “life-changing” by the young people and families who access its services.

Looking ahead, the charity has an ambitious strategic plan to reach all 4,693 young adults diagnosed with cancer each year in the UK. As part of this growth, the charity continues to build strong partnerships with businesses and the corporate community to extend its reach and impact.

“It is an incredible honour to be recognised alongside such inspiring leaders across the North of England. This award reflects the extraordinary dedication of our entire community,” said Jane Dawson. “Our team, trustees, supporters, partners, ambassadors, and Lived Experience Panel all play a vital role in continuing Ella’s legacy and transforming the lives of young adults and their families across our region and beyond. A huge thank you for your incredible support, and congratulations to all the other nominees and award winners Thankyou to BusinessCloud for organising and hosting such an inspiring event’’.

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To work with or support this dynamic and impactful charity, please contact [email protected] or visit www.elladawsonfoundation.org.uk.