Marking World Cancer Day at RHS Harlow Carr
February 2026 | RHS Harlow Carr.
Guest blog by Trustee, and event organiser and host, Lucy Hind:
Sometimes, the most powerful moments aren’t the loudest ones - they’re the ones shared quietly, together. As part of our 24-hour Marathon for World Cancer Day this February, 18 of us came together face-to-face at RHS Harlow Carr, Harrogate for two genuinely uplifting, creative, tea filled sessions. And what a privilege it was!
Across the day, we wrote, we crafted, we talked, we reflected and yes, we drank a lot of tea. There was laughter, there were thoughtful silences, and there was that unmistakable warmth that only comes when people gather with shared purpose.
RHS Harlow Carr couldn’t have been a more fitting setting. Between sessions, we took gentle strolls around the gardens, drawing inspiration from the winter landscape. Even in February, the gardens offered colour, structure and quiet resilience; a beautiful reminder that growth and renewal continue, even in the colder seasons.
Creativity flowed in so many different forms. Some found words easily; others expressed themselves through crafting and conversation. What mattered wasn’t what we produced, it was the act of showing up, being present, and contributing to something bigger than ourselves as part of the 24-hour effort marking World Cancer Day.
Seeing 18 people give their time, energy and heart across the two sessions was incredibly moving. Events like this remind me that community is powerful. When we come together, whether to write, create, walk, or simply sit with a cup of tea, we create space for connection, understanding and support. Exactly what we want to achieve as a charity!
To everyone who attended- thank you. Thank you for making it joyful. Thank you for making it meaningful. And thank you for being part of something that truly mattered.
Here’s to community, creativity, and continuing to show up for one another.
As part of our 24hr Letter Writing Marathon to mark World Cancer Day, a huge online and offline community came together to write more than 700 letters to people with cancer - that’s 700 cancer patients feeling more connected, less alone…and always thought of.
If you’d like to write for our Donate A Letter programme, we’d love to have you onboard. You can register here and we’ll send you everything you need to get started. We also have online workshops running throughout the year and sometimes special in-person events like these, which we add to our workshops page and let you know about in our newsletter (you can sign up to receive that here).
