About us

Read our story and meet the team

Active Against Cancer is a pioneering service, delivered by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, which puts exercise at the core of cancer care for all patients in the Harrogate area. The service was founded in April 2019 with founder funding during the pilot phase from Yorkshire Cancer Research. It was one of the first services in the country to incorporate bespoke activity programmes into the standard treatment plans offered to all cancer patients and the service is available from the point of diagnosis, throughout treatment and during recovery.

Patients who subscribe to the service are assessed at the point of diagnosis with bespoke exercise packages created by highly-skilled trainers who are qualified to deliver sessions before, during and after cancer treatment. Patients are re-assessed before and after treatment and at regular intervals whilst engaged with the service. They are provided with personalised rehabilitation programmes, maintenance exercises whilst undergoing treatment and bespoke plans for post-treatment rehabilitation.

As an NHS service, the Active Against Cancer team communicate with each patient’s clinical team to offer the best personalised health care and create the safest, most effective and most appropriate fitness programme for each individual.

In 2020, in recognition of the success of the service, the Active Against Cancer team won the Excellence in Healthcare category of the NHS Parliamentary Awards for the North East and Yorkshire.

The Active Against Cancer service has now supported over 3500 referrals. As part of the service’s long-term goal to improve access to exercise, health and wellbeing for all patients within the Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, a second site – Active Against Cancer Ripon – opened in September 2024. The new service was launched with assistance and funding from North Yorkshire Sports.

The new service, based at The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, makes Active Against Cancer more accessible to patients living in Ripon and the surrounding area.