Partnerships with Government agencies, other voluntary organisations and commercial concerns can greatly enhance the information and support available for people affected by cancer.

In 2000-2001 CancerBACUP built on well-established relationships with a wide range of organisations, and developed new ones with great potential.

The Department of Health, through Section 64 and other grants, supported a number of important projects, including the Dying with cancer booklet and a project to improve communication between GPs and patients on referral of possible cancers. This includes publication of a booklet and 12 factsheets, and research into the effectiveness of communication on this essential topic.

Thanks to a partnership with the National Pharmaceutical Association and telecommunications group Cable and Wireless, over 80,000 copies of a ‘Living with cancer’ pack were distributed through contact with every community pharmacy in the country.

The Times newspaper chose CancerBACUP for its Christmas appeal. It published numerous articles on cancer-related issues and CancerBACUP in December and January. It almost doubled its target of £50,000, raising over £92,000 for CancerBACUP. This money will pay for a dedicated nurse post.

Pharmaceutical companies work with CancerBACUP in a number of ways, including sponsoring publication of booklets, funding the maintenance of nurses’ knowledge and expertise through participation in national and international conferences, and providing funding towards our local centres.