In September 1948 a group of dedicated local people came together with a mission to help improve the health of the people around them. The Friends of the Liverpool Radium Institute was born.
Made up of 26 tireless volunteer fundraising groups across the region, the goal was simple - to raise money for cancer research across the North West.
Within 15 years, we had funded almost £1million of cancer research projects, and by 1996 that figure had risen to over £10million. The money helped to pay for ground-breaking research taking place across the region including work at Liverpool University, the University of Bangor and Lancaster University.
Over the years we have changed our name to reflect the medical picture we now face. Today, North West Cancer Research knows that more people will develop cancer, but fewer will die from it. Many will be cured and many will live full lives despite having a cancer diagnosis. And our education campaigns help people in our region know how they can prevent cancer and how to spot the early signs.
Our funding created the UK’s first Endocrine and Chromosome Research Unit which later developed a world-leading test for diagnosing cancer from blood samples. It has helped facilitate the first ever clinical trial to look at the effective treatment of bowel cancer and it has allowed us to purchase state of the art equipment, such as a Quadrupole Mass Spectrometer at Bangor University which is vital for fundamental cancer research.
We have come a long way. But there is so much work still to do to achieve a cancer free future.
Our mission back in 1948, to fund world-class cancer research in our region, has never wavered and our story shows what local people can achieve.
Registered Charity no. 519357