Cancer Research UK crying out for funds

[rov1100]

A TV advertisement today shows they need funds urgently. They point out the government doesn't supply a penny towards this vital research and relies totally on contributions from the public. Thousands are dying every year from this horrible illness.

Why does the government refuse to contribute while at the same time is donating £millions abroad especially those caught up in the famine in East Africa? They also get donations from the public.

[Ankou]

there is also a perception that all this research into cancer eads to drugs that the nhs can't afford.

[Gromit]

Who says the Government do not fund research into cancer. They fund lots of Cancer Research through the Medical Research Council (MRC) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).

[pa___ul3]

Just sneakily letting people know that when I run the Liverpool Marathon in October I hope to be raising money for Cancer Research UK. I'll be putting a link to my just giving page (when it's done) on Facebook so if anyone wants to kindly donate just let me know and I can add you or tell you where to see the link.
Sorry to impose on your thread Rov but I'm guessing by the theme of your post you support the charity.

[rov1100]

Gromit I can only repeat what it said in the advertisement.

pa___ul3 you should be applauded!

[tinkerbell23]

Its a vital charity and should be supported as much as possible x

[tommy-h]

Seems to me that cancer research is a self perpetuating industry.One sees stories in the papers every other week about promising cures in the pipeline but no follow up.Facilities are always saying if only we had a little more cash and time wed solve it.I bet if there was any real hope the government would throw a billion or two at researchers and grab all the credit.

[rov1100]

Being the largest Cancer charity in the UK you would think the government would contribute to it:

Taken from their website:

How we fundraise
Our life-saving work is ENTIRELY funded by the public. None of it would be possible without the generosity and commitment of the millions of people that support us.

[Gromit]

No, the Government should decide what it researches and priorities. It should not hand out money to undemocratic charities to spend. The Government spend on research, if charity organisations what to raise money and compliment the Governments work, then that is fine, but the Government should not give it additional funding.

[bednobs]

the government dosen't contribute to that charity. However they contribute to loads of research and trials via the NHS

[Gromit]

Steve5

There are thousands of deserving charities. The Government must decide itself what it funds. It already gives to researching cancer, why should it hand more taxpayers money to a charity doing the same thing? If the Government were to give money to it, they would have no say how the money was spent.

[Keleez]

The Government send millions of pounds to other countries on the stipulation that these countries pay it back...sometimes with interest, they dont actually donate they just tell us they do, but in reality some where down the line they will be asking these countries for the money back, and if you think about it, in the eyes of the world 'Donating' to other countries works to the governments benefit, 'makes them look good', they do donate some funds to Cancer Research, but its never much...and when they do...they make a big song and dance about it...the government seem to choke when it comes to sorting out their own countries problems

[Zeuhl]

If supporting Cancer Research UK is good because it is helping 'our own' does that mean if they found a cure, we should only make it available to people in the UK?

[hc4361]

And of course drug companies invest billions in to research, including cancer cures and treatments.

[VHG]

There is a cancer research shop in my local high st and they dont do any cancer reseach in there at all.

Seems to be a load of old ladies just selling second hand clothes.

[Twenty20]

And why just pick Cancer Research charity? There's hundreds, if not thousands, of charities out there, all saying they are needing and deserving of funds - many of these charities are funding life saving research as well. Cancer Research Charity is not the only one. How or why do you pick one instead of another?

[Kromovaracun]

As has already been said, the government does provide funding for cancer research - just not the charity Cancer Research UK. It also provides funding for a wealth of other areas of scientific and medical research. Universities (for all the scorn that people pour on them) also fund a vast amount of medical research. The lamentable fact that Cancer Research UK is low on funds, while upsetting, does not quite tell the whole story.

[Barmaid]

Has anyone actually looked at their published accounts? I am guessing legacy income alone last year was about £120m.