AN INCREDIBLE £18,000 has been raised by Bacup Cancer research UK Local Committee to support specialist research into an early blood test to detect if melanoma will return.

The local fundraisers are supporting research by Professor Richard Marais’s team from the Manchester Project.

The committee have fundraised through a number of collections, Spring fayre, afternoon tea, curry evening, quizzes and on Saturday December 7 the annual Christmas Fair raised a further £1,645.

Local press officer Liz Hall said: “This year we have finished off our celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the local committee and we began our 61st year of fundraising.

“I am very grateful for the support local businesses show to the committee throughout the year and to the many people that come along and support all of the events we hold.

“There were lots of activities in Bacup on Saturday, but we were delighted to have so many people coming along to Central Methodist Church to support our fundraiser.

“Together we will make a difference and together we will keep on raising money to ensure that we can beat cancer.”

Polly Leetch, Cancer Research UK’s local fundraising manager, said: “Melanoma is a form of cancer that develops from pigment-producing cells in the skin.

“Unfortunately, the nature of the cancer means that for some people it can come back after initial, seemingly effective treatment.

“Professor Richard Marais, who is Director of the CRUK Manchester Institute and co-Director of the CRUK Manchester Centre, and his team have shown that survival for skin cancer patients could be significantly improved thanks to an ‘early warning’ blood test that analyses tumour DNA to detect whether the disease is about to return.

“The committee and their supporters have made an incredible contribution towards this team in order for them to continue their research.

“One in two people in the UK will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lives, but the good news is more people are surviving the disease now than ever before.

“Cancer survival in the UK has doubled since the early 1970s and Cancer Research UK’s work has been at the heart of that progress.

“However, we have only been able to achieve this thanks to the dedication and commitment of volunteers and supporters like the Bacup Local Committee whom we would not be able to fund our life-saving research.”

For further information about your local Cancer Research UK Committe work and to find out how to support the charity, please like our Facebook page:

www.facebook.com/CancerResearchUKBacupCommittee/

For further information about Cancer Research UK’s work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1022 or visit cruk.org.