DAFT AS A BRUSH CANCER PATIENT CARE CHARITABLE TRUST

What DAFT AS A BRUSH CANCER PATIENT CARE CHARITABLE TRUST does

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care Charitable Trust is a registered UK charity (No. 328432) and company limited by guarantee (No. 2333474), founded by Brian Burnie in 2014 and headquartered in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne. The charity provides free, non-emergency transport for cancer patients to and from hospital for chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, collecting patients from their homes and returning them after their appointments. It operates a large fleet of dedicated ambulances staffed by volunteer drivers and companions, and completes thousands of patient journeys each year across the North East of England, Scottish Borders, and North Yorkshire, serving a catchment of approximately 3 million people centred on the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at Freeman Hospital.

Patients cannot self-refer; they are referred through NHS clinical teams at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care, Royal Victoria Infirmary, South Tyneside Oncology, Queen Elizabeth Oncology (Gateshead), Cramlington Manor Walks, and Lloyds Clinical. The service is funded entirely by donations and fundraising, with no charge to patients. A small staff team of approximately 9 people (including CEO, Head of Income Generation, Volunteer Support Lead, Finance/ESG, Events Manager, Schedulers, Fleet Management, Corporate Fundraising Officer, and Marketing) coordinates hundreds of volunteers.

The revenue model spans six streams: individual one-time donations (e.g., £30 funds fuel for 150-200 miles; £100 powers an ambulance for 3 days), monthly direct debits, corporate partnerships (Nationwide, Durham University, Brewin Dolphin, Egger, Lumo, Matfen Hall and others), a weekly charity lottery operated via Unity with £1 tickets and prizes up to £25,000, fundraising events (Great North Run, Christmas Light Trail, skydives, treks), and legacy giving through partnerships with Octopus Legacy and PGS Law Solicitors. The charity is registered with the Fundraising Regulator and NCVO, licensed by the Gambling Commission (account 3137), and GDPR-compliant. In 2026, Andrea Glover succeeded founder Brian Burnie as CEO, signalling a leadership transition while the mission and operational model remain unchanged.

Name

DAFT AS A BRUSH CANCER PATIENT CARE CHARITABLE TRUST

Legal name

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care Charitable Trust

Website

https://daftasabrush.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care Charitable Trust is a UK-registered charity that provides free ambulance transport for cancer patients to and from chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment across the North East of England, Scottish Borders, and North Yorkshire, funded by donations, a Unity lottery, corporate partnerships, and fundraising events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Cancer Patient Transport Services

NAICS

Ambulance Services (621910), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Ambulatory Medical Escort / Door-Through-Door Assistance Services (TLAFAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Transportation & Errands (Non-Emergency) (HLADAGAF)

Keywords

• Cancer patient transport
• Charitable healthcare services
• Volunteer ambulance service
• Non-emergency patient transport
• Chemotherapy radiotherapy transport

Headquarters

HQ city

Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: One-time and recurring donations from individuals supporting the charity's mission. £30 provides fuel for 150-200 miles; £100 powers a single ambulance for 3 days or a full week.
2. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors provide financial and in-kind support. Partners include Brewin Dolphin, Egger, Empire, Evershed, Lumo, Matfen Hall, Nationwide, Oddfellows, South Shields Golf, Durham University, and others.
3. Charity Lottery: Weekly lottery operated through Unity. Tickets cost £1 each; 50p per ticket goes directly to the charity as profit. Prizes range from £25 to £25,000 jackpot. Draw takes place every Friday.
4. Fundraising Events: Events including Great North Run participation, Christmas Light Trails, challenge events (skydives, treks), community events, and third-party fundraising activities.
5. Legacy Giving: Gifts left in wills by supporters. Partnership with Octopus Legacy for free online will writing and PGS Law Solicitors offering 20% discount on will writing services for supporters.
6. Monthly Direct Debit: Recurring monthly donations providing reliable ongoing support for the charity's operational costs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care specialises in transporting cancer patients to and from hospital for their chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy treatment, free of charge. The service involves collecting and transporting patients in a safe and comfortable environment from their home to the treatment centre and returning them home afterwards, operating a large fleet of ambulances staffed by hundreds of volunteer drivers and companions. All services are funded entirely by donations and fundraising activities, with thousands of patient journeys completed each year across North East England, Northumberland, the Scottish Borders and North Yorkshire.

Product overview

Daft as a Brush Cancer Patient Care is a North East charity providing a unified free patient transport service for cancer patients attending chemotherapy and radiotherapy at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care and affiliated hospitals. The core offering is its ambulance fleet operated by volunteer drivers and companions, which forms the centrepiece of its charitable mission. Supporting this core transport service are additional products: the Daft as a Brush Lottery (a weekly number-match game offering prizes up to £25,000), fundraising events (including the Great North Run and Christmas Light Trail), fundraising challenges (adventure events like Machu Picchu and Petra treks), and a free will writing service offered through partners Octopus Legacy and PGS Law. All products and services are funded by donations, lottery proceeds, and fundraising activities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Cancer Patient Transport Service Free ambulance transport service for cancer patients attending chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment. Volunteer drivers and companions collect patients from their home, transport them to the treatment centre, and return them home afterwards. Service is provided free of charge to patients referred via NHS clinical teams.
• Daft as a Brush Lottery Weekly number-match lottery with tickets at £1 each and prizes up to £25,000. At least 50p from every ticket goes directly to the charity as profit. Draws take place every Friday, with online and postal entry options.
• Christmas Light Trail Annual community Christmas lights event featuring a festive trail of decorated homes across the region, raising funds and awareness for the charity through family participation and local business involvement.
• Fundraising Events Portfolio Portfolio of community fundraising events including Great North Run participation, runs, walks, cycling challenges, skydives, and seasonal campaigns. Events are managed by the Events Fundraising team with community and third-party participation.
• Fundraising Challenges Adventure fundraising challenges including Machu Picchu treks, Petra expeditions and skydives, offered in partnership with Charity Challenge, OverLimits and Jagged Globe for supporters to raise funds through personal challenge events.
• Free Will Writing Service Partnership with Octopus Legacy and PGS Law Solicitors providing free or discounted will writing services, enabling supporters to create wills and leave legacy donations to the charity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of cancer patient journeys completed each year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brewin DolphincoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner providing support to Daft as a Brush. Brewin Dolphin is a wealth management firm.
• EggercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the charity. Egger is a wood-based panel manufacturer.
• EmpirecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner listed on the charity's partnership page.
• EvershedcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the charity.
• LumocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the charity. Lumo is a renewable energy company.
• Matfen HallcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner - a hotel and golf resort in Northumberland.
• Nationwide Building SocietycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner supporting the charity.
• OddfellowscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner - Oddfellows is a friendly society.
• South Shields Golf ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerLocal golf club supporting the charity through corporate partnership.
• Durham UniversitycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUniversity partner supporting the charity through corporate engagement.
• KarbonminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner - Karbon Homes is a housing association.
• Manor WalksminorGTM or Marketing PartnerShopping centre in Cramlington supporting the charity.
• Unity (Lottery Provider)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOperates the Daft as a Brush Lottery. For every £1 played, at least 50p goes directly to the charity. Unity is licensed and regulated by the Gambling Commission.
• Octopus LegacycoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner for free online will writing service. Octopus Legacy helps supporters create wills at no charge for a simple will.
• PGS Law SolicitorscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial solicitors of Daft as a Brush located in South Shields. Wills and Probate team offers 20% discount on service fees for supporters quoting 'Daft as a Brush'. Mr Ian Farrer is a partner at PGS Law and also serves as a trustee.
• Charity ChallengeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSpecialist adventure challenge operator offering trekking events like Machu Picchu and Petra for charity supporters.
• OverLimitsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdventure challenge provider offering physical and mental challenges for individuals and workplaces.
• Jagged GlobeminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdventure company helping supporters achieve dreams with expertise in mountain expeditions.
• Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary NHS partner. The Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC) at Freeman Hospital is the main hub for cancer services. Daft as a Brush works closely with NHS to transport patients referred by clinical teams.
• Skyline SkydivingminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSkydiving operator for charity challenge events.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AGE UK: National UK charity providing services including transport assistance, befriending, and practical support for older adults. Comparable volunteer-driven, donation-funded model supporting elderly transport needs, with overlap in demographic served.
• Royal Voluntary Service: UK charity providing volunteer-led hospital transport, companion services, and on-ward support through NHS partnerships. Closely comparable volunteer-driven patient transport model with NHS hospital integration.
• British Red Cross: Operates Patient Transport Services across the UK, including for NHS patients needing non-emergency transport. Comparable volunteer-led ambulance transport model and NHS referral pathways, though it operates at much larger national scale with broader humanitarian remit.
• Marie Curie: National UK charity providing hospice and end-of-life cancer care, including volunteer companion services. Comparable charity-driven cancer care support model, though its core service is hospice care rather than transport.
• Macmillan Cancer Support: Largest UK cancer charity supporting patients with transport, financial grants, and information services. Directly comparable as a UK cancer patient support charity, though Macmillan operates nationally across many service lines vs. Daft as a Brush's specialist regional transport focus.
• St John Ambulance: Major UK charity providing patient transport services and ambulance support for the NHS. Comparable volunteer-based patient transport for medical appointments, though it is a national organisation with broader first-aid and emergency response mandate.

Direct peers

• Maggie's Centres: UK cancer charity providing free support, information, and complementary therapies near major NHS cancer hospitals. Comparable NHS-embedded, donation-funded cancer patient support model with hospital-adjacent service footprint.
• CLIC Sargent (now Young Lives vs Cancer): UK cancer charity providing financial support, transport assistance, and accommodation for cancer patients and families. Closely comparable mission and patient-support model, though its focus is on children/young people and the funding model is more grant-based.
• Hope for Tomorrow: UK charity providing mobile cancer care units to bring treatment closer to patients. Directly comparable as a UK cancer patient transport/logistics charity working in partnership with NHS hospitals, with similar donation-sustained operating model.

Regional players

• North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) NHS Trust: Statutory NHS ambulance service operating across the North East, including non-emergency patient transport. Regional peer with overlapping service area; Daft as a Brush complements rather than competes with NEAS by covering volunteer-led free transport.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/daft-as-a-brush-cancer-patient-care

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about DAFT AS A BRUSH CANCER PATIENT CARE CHARITABLE TRUST