A group of dedicated fundraisers has succeeded in securing £20,000 in donations to contribute to funding breakthrough cancer research and is now seeking new, younger members to help it reach further into the community as it strives to hit its target of raising £600,000 since it was founded in 1958.

Radiotherapy has played a key role as a highly effective form of cancer treatment for many years, but now a new study being led by Professor Tim Illidge in Manchester is looking at how it could be combined with newer immunotherapy treatments.

The work is examining how the body's T cells behave in response to both forms of treatment.

Major components of the body's adaptive immune system, T cells work by directly killing infected host cells, activating other immune cells, and regulating the immune response. Immunotherapy works by teaching them how to attack cancer cells, while radiotherapy uses high doses of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumours.

The research aims to discover the best ways to combine the two in order to produce the most effective and long-lasting anti-tumour response in a bid to help further improve cancer survival rates. It has benefitted from £20,000 of funding raised by the Bacup committee of national charity Cancer Research UK.

Bacup resident Liz Hall, a commercial photographer, is a member of the committee and its press secretary, and said: "We're really pleased we've been able to raise this money and help to fund this important project.

"Cancer treatments don't happen by accident, they exist because of painstaking research like this.

"Knowing that the time we give-up as volunteers is contributing to a study that will ultimately save lives makes every hour really worthwhile."

The 17-member committee raised the money by hosting events like its Spring and Christmas Fayres, an afternoon tea, and a curry night, along with in-store collections at local supermarkets, gifts in memory of loved ones, and other donations.

Since it was first formed, the committee has raised more than half-a-million pounds and now wants to take this to £600,000, but with an average age of 56, Liz knows younger volunteers are needed to help the committee reach a younger audience of givers.

"About a third of Rossendale residents are aged 18 to 44. We need our committee to be more representative of the community, and that means attracting new, younger members. 

"I'm appealing to local people with a passion for making a difference to get involved, give up a small amount of their time, and help us connect with more people in this important age group so that we can raise even more money for lifesaving, pioneering cancer research."

For more information on the Cancer Research UK Bacup committee please contact Liz on 07761 120 176 and follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BacupFundrasingCommitteeforCRUK

Photo caption (L-R): Jean Almond, Carolyn Brown, Aaron Webster Cancer Research UK Relationship Manager, Rossendale Mayor Councillor Anne Cheetham, OBE, JP, Lesley Henson, Marie Hartley, Carol Howard and John Fielding

Photo Credit:  Liz Henson Photography