The inspiration behind Team Jak came from Jak Trueman himself, in the final months before he passed in 2015 aged 15.
Jak believed no one should face cancer and related illnesses alone. While he praised the medical care he received, he saw an urgent need for emotional, social, and practical support, for himself, his family, and for others like him. His goal was to create a safe haven away from the rigours of treatment and hospital wards. A place filled with joy, comfort, and connection. A place to just be.
He envisaged a Den, somewhere everyone affected by a serious childhood diagnosis — children, young people, their families and friends — could take a break. A very special space delivering the mix of emotional and social support he had identified as needed, backed up by the Scottish Government’s Childhood Cancer plan and the gap in psycho-social support .
Led by his mum Allison, Jak’s vision came to life within months of his passing, and since then, Team Jak has registered more than 550 families across Scotland.
We’ve achieved this through dedicated Jak’s Den facilities in Livingston and Aberdeen, pop-up Dens in Glasgow and Fife, and through our outreach programme in hospitals and schools. Every week, we support around 50 children and their families on cancer wards in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Aberdeen. Our work spans music and therapeutic play, counselling, bereavement support, wellbeing sessions, and memory-making for families navigating the toughest of times.
The Team Jak Foundation is a registered charity, led by a small but passionate team of staff, our board of trustees, and an ever-growing group of dedicated volunteers. For the families we support, we are their soft place to fall and we stay in step with them, wherever their path may lead.
Every smile we create, every journey we ease — everything began with Jak’s powerful vision and even more powerful legacy.
At Team Jak, our top priority is delivering the right emotional, social, and practical support at the right time to all those affected by a childhood diagnosis of cancer or other associated illness. We are here for children and young people aged 0-25, their families and their friends, across Scotland.
Team Jak delivers bespoke emotional support in safe, compassionate spaces across Scotland for children and young people with cancer and their families. Included are 1:1 and group counselling, music therapy, sibling sessions, wellbeing activities, bereavement care, and so much more.
Our Team Jak social support includes joyful activities and fun events where children and young people with cancer — plus families and friends — can connect, laugh, and feel less alone. Join us at a welcoming Jak’s Den, for a family outing, or at a themed event.
We provide hands-on help to ease everyday pressures — from travel grants, help with schoolwork and tutoring to household tasks and family logistics. Team Jak’s practical support is flexible, personal, and available at home, hospital, or at our Jak’s Dens.
We provide emotional, social and practical support to children & young people with cancer, their families, friends and those bereaved
