Jak's Den

Team Jak was founded by inspirational teenager, Jak Trueman, who was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer which claimed his life five months later, aged just 15. He documented his life and treatment on social media and dreamed of creating a purpose-built facility where young patients could go without fear of infection and receive emotional, practical and social support. Just six days before he died, he unveiled plans to support other young people in similar circumstances.

He called his charity Team Jak and asked his mum, Allison Barr to create Jak’s Dens – purpose-built facilities where young cancer patients, those with related illnesses, along with families and friends, could escape from the traumas of treatment and have fun in a clean, safe environment all across Scotland. More than 400 families across Scotland have been helped to date.

Last year, children with the disease living across the north-east of Scotland were given a new lifeline with the opening of Jak’s Den Aberdeen. Staff were already holding regular pop-ups in and around Aberdeen but it became increasingly clear that a permanent base was needed to support dozens of local families through their journeys with cancer. The new base offers a dedicated space for music workshops and other drop-in sessions for young people up to 25-years-old.