Fighting for the lives of local people

Jan 8 2008 by Emma Pinch, Liverpool Daily Post

North Western Area Cancer Research Fund _320

“You won’t find us spending thousands of pounds on advertising in the middle of Coronation Street,” says Jackson. “It goes straight into research. I find that particularly rewarding.

“It means I feel very comfort- able talking to fundraisers.”

The charity may be celebrating 60 years, but fundraising is not confined to raffles and home-baked cakes. A debut collection of clothing and merchandise is in the pipe line, featuring its new butterflies logo, and a grand 60th anniversary ball is planned. Branch volunteers have created a cookbook of traditional regional recipes.

Jackson, from Knotty Ash, knows at first hand the importance of research into cancer. Three years ago, she lost her father, 69-year-old Alan Fairclough, to skin cancer.

“I find it very sad that, while all this research is going on, nothing could be done for my dad,” she says. “It was too late. It makes me realise how much further we need to go and how important it is that we continue with what we are doing so more people can be helped.”

She says that, since driving her to her first interview with the charity four years ago, he had been hugely proud of her involvement with the charity, boasting to doctors about her at his Marie Curie hospice.

“I’d rather I didn’t have first- hand experience of the disease, and, while I’m not a scientist or a researcher, it makes me very passionate about what I do, and very determined,” she says. “I want to encourage people to think about smaller, regional charities like ourselves being as important or more so.”

Col Bryson, who is 95 next month, says the original founders little thought that finding a cure for cancer would prove so elusive.

“Sixty years ago, if anyone said to me, give me some money now and it will take at least 60 years to find it, people wouldn’t belive it. We thought we would cure it as quickly as that.”

But his conviction that they will remains undimmed.

“I think it will not happen in my lifetime, but I hope we will find the cause. I’ve wanted it for 60 years. A tremendous amount has been done and we know there are many types of cancer to target, but we still just say ‘let us get rid of it’. That would be more wonderful than winning the war.”

* FURTHER details: www.cancerresearchfund.co.uk

emma.pinch@dailypost.co.uk