All these developments exemplify CancerBACUP's continuing efforts to improve its services and broaden their reach.

Our aim is to make access to information and support available to everyone affected by cancer in Britain. The challenge is considerable: although the cancer information specialist nurses on the helpline answered over 45,000 calls in 2000-2001, many callers were unable to get through first time.

For the coming year we have set ourselves the ambitious target of establishing a second contact centre, based in Glasgow, which will share the load with the London base (on the same freephone number). When fully staffed, it will enable us to meet the demand and satisfy the information and support needs of all callers.