Sometimes, the most meaningful work finds you when you least expect it. For Fuel, this was one of those moments.
The brief
In an effort to do just that, Lesley-Ann Simpson and her team decided to publish a book that helped individuals who were either going through difficult times or had been through them and still needed some help.
The initial meeting to discuss this project took place in the summer of 2025, and at that stage, it was an early concept, an idea and not much more than that.
The brief was simple. Research the topic, create the content, design it and get it printed. Oh, and name it as well.
It was a challenging brief, mainly because although the Fuel team had the skills to meet the requirements, it wasn’t a path that we had ‘walked’ previously. It’s not every day that you get asked to create a book, especially one of such significance and potential impact.
The work
The individual members of the team went away, and each started on their own specific part of the brief. We remained close as a team throughout the project and very much worked in collaboration with Lesley-Ann, her internal team and her trustees.
Over a period of time, the individual sections started to emerge and come together. There were sections on how to handle food and drink, what to do about finances, how to approach sex and how to talk to family and friends. It deliberately set out to be a metaphorical friend to those who needed it. The character we created soon became ‘part confidant’, ‘part advisor’, and almost a close mate you could have a pint with. It was all about engagement, understanding and solid advice.
The whole thing was framed around the idea that ‘as much as cancer’s a battle you’ve struggled with, survivorship is a war that you’ve won’. Survivorship became a central theme, and as a result, the book was titled: “Healing, Surviving, Thriving”.
Client quote
“We have worked with Fuel before so it was a natural progression when we decided to work with them again on this Survivorship project. They not only understand we what we do as an organisation but more importantly they managed to get inside the head of those people that are diagnosed with Cancer. What this then resulted in was an end product that genuinely engaged with the audience while demonstrating true empathy. It was a joy to work with the Fuel team and I’m sure we’ll be doing it again soon on the next project.”
Lesley-Ann Simpson, CEO, The Chestnut Appeal
