On Thursday 20^th March, a sell-out comedy night took place at the iconic City Varieties Music Hall for the tenth year in a row.

Laugh in the Face of Cancer is the brainchild of married couple Jordan and Liz Long, who decided to launch the event after Liz’s sister Alex was sadly diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014.

With the support of their employer, Lowell, a Leeds based credit management company, the pair put on the first comedy night in March 2015, raising funds for Leeds Hospitals Charity to help support the thousands of patients who are treated at Leeds Cancer Centre every year.

Through their ongoing fundraising efforts, Lowell have now contributed over half a million pounds for Leeds Hospitals Charity.

The inaugural event was a huge success, yet Jordan and Liz never imagined it would continue for a whole decade. It has even attracted support from some of the UK’s top comedians, from Jon Richardson to Rosie Jones, and Russell Kane, who performed at the latest event.

Unfortunately, after getting her life back on track following years of gruelling treatment, Alex was diagnosed with secondary cancer in the bones of her spine and pelvis in November 2024.

Alex will live with cancer for the rest of her life and is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment at St James’s Hospital in the hope of giving her many more years to make precious memories with family and friends.

We spoke to Alex about her sister and brother-in-law’s phenomenal achievements, she said:

“I am immensely proud to be the reason why Laugh in the Face of Cancer exists. The first year after I was diagnosed was one of the toughest years I experienced, it was so hard seeing the emotional toil on my family, chemotherapy made me feel so ill, and I found it hard to recognise the person looking back in me at the mirror.

“If sharing what I have gone through helps others navigate their journey, then some light has come from the dark. Lizzie and Jordan give it their all to make this event a year-on-year success and their dedication to fundraising has enabled Leeds Hospitals Charity to fund vital projects that help so many cancer patients like me.”

Following the latest comedy night which raised a staggering £30,268.02 Laugh in the Face of Cancer has now contributed over £150,000. 

The money raised thanks to Jordan and Liz’s ongoing fundraising efforts has supported a range of projects, from groundbreaking cancer research, to funding new medical equipment and improvements to the ward environment.

Esther Wakeman, CEO at Leeds Hospitals Charity praised Jordan and Liz for their extraordinary efforts:

“It’s fantastic to hear that the 10-year anniversary of Laugh in the Face of Cancer was a resounding success. All of us at Leeds Hospitals Charity have been blown away by all the hard work Liz, Jordan and colleagues at Lowell have put into making this one of Leeds’ most highly anticipated comedy nights of the year!

“This wonderful annual event has already helped us make a huge difference to people living with cancer in our region. The money raised through this year’s event will enable us to continue investing in projects above and beyond what the NHS can provide.”