Cavell Nurses' Trust

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Cavell, now simply Cavell, is a UK charity that helps nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants who are facing personal or financial hardship. It supports both working and retired staff. It was founded in 1917 in memory of British nurse Edith Cavell, who was executed in 1915 during World War I.

Today, Cavell aims to support UK nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants dealing with illness, disability, old age, domestic abuse or the ongoing cost of living pressures. The charity has seen rising demand: in 2022 there was a 200% increase in people seeking help, and in the first six months of 2023 there was about a 35% rise compared with the same period the year before.

Edith Cavell’s story helped inspire the charity’s origins. After her death, a letter in The Lancet described her wish to create homes of rest for nurses. An appeal launched the Edith Cavell Homes of Rest for Nurses as a war charity. By July 1918 Queen Alexandra was the patron, and newspapers raised £12,500. By 1919, an Edith Cavell Home of Rest in Richmond opened. In 1921, administration of the Homes for Nurses moved to the Nation’s Fund for Nurses.

In 2012, NurseAid renamed itself Cavell Nurses’ Trust to emphasize its link with Edith Cavell. The charity is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales as the Edith Cavell Fund For Nurses. In August 2023, Cavell rebranded to Cavell.