Welcome to the YJS Trust

The YJS Charitable trust was set up in memory of Yvonne Stewart who died of cancer in 2003. The Trustees of the Trust raise money through a variety of fund raising events and distribute to good causes which they believe Yvonne would have wanted to support.

The YJS Charitable Trust was set up in 2004 in memory of Yvonne Stewart. The Trust was founded by her three children, Daniel, Nina and Alex.

The story begins in July 2002 when Yvonne was diagnosed with Lung cancer. She had never smoked. Her fight against the disease started immediately, but was sadly lost in September 2003, days short of her 57th birthday, despite the efforts of her oncologist Neville Davidson and the staff at the Nuffield hospital in Brentwood.

The Trust raises money through a variety of events and the Trustees distribute funds raised to causes they believe Yvonne would have wanted to support. The board of Trustees is made up of her husband Barry(Chairman), daughter Nina, son Alex along with Sheila Stewart (Treasurer) and Ceire O'Rourke.

The Trust began life as the Breath of Life fund, part of the British Lung Foundation at the end of 2003. Around 5000 life-long-non smokers become ill with lung related disease and cancer every year. There is a history of negativism to lung charities within the media and the general public, people believe that patients with lung cancer somehow deserve to die. As a trust we know this not to be true.

By the end of 2004 the trust had registered with the charities commission in its own right. This enabled the trustees to support a wider range of good causes and not only the British Lung Foundation.
The trustees of the YJS Trust decided in 2006 that they would support good causes that promoted Alternative Therapies for cancer patients and their families. Yvonne used alternative treatments throughout her whole life not only during her fight against cancer.

In 2007 the Trust had a chance meeting with the Chief Executive of the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity; right away it was clear that both organisations shared the shame views. From the beginning of 2008 the YJS Trust will be dedicating fund raising efforts for the Helen Rollason Heal Cancer Charity. Specifically in aid of a new alternative treatment centre in Chelmsford. In return for this support the new Centre will have a wing named after Yvonne. The trustees believe that this will be a long lasting and fitting tribute to her memory. In 2010 we donated £250,000 to Helen Rollason Charity to purchase a house for this use.

We have also donated £20,000 to the LupasUK Charity to help research into the causes of the disease.

Since 2014 the Trust has been working closely with Saint Francis Hospice. Up to the end of 2025 we have donated over £250,000 with the most recent donation to cover the cost of running the hopice for Christmas Day 2025.