Worldwide Cancer Research has secured a £100,000 commitment to fund new cancer cures
A Scottish charity has gained a key funding boost to help groundbreaking cancer research.
Worldwide Cancer Research – the UK charity that starts new cures for cancer – is receiving support from Raffolux, which has committed to raising £100,000 in 2021 to fund lifesaving cancer research.
After successfully raising £35,000 for the charity in 2020, the online raffle retailer is upping the ante this year and extending its partnership with Worldwide Cancer Research, backing the brightest minds in cancer research across the country, and globally.
The donation from Raffolux will go towards a new project led by Professor Richard Jenner and his team at University College London. The research will explore potential new ways to prevent certain mutations from driving tumour growth in lymphoma, as well as other types of cancer. By pledging £100,000, Raffolux is able to cover the cost of over a third of the three-year project running from January 2021 until January 2024.
Raffolux is a popular online interactive raffle platform, with over 40,000 registered users. It gives players the opportunity to donate to a cause close to their hearts, whilst getting the chance to win for themselves too. 10 per cent of the proceeds from every single raffle ticket purchased are donated to a charity chosen by the player. As well, Raffolux hosts dedicated raffles for individual charities, donating up to 100% of the profits.
Since Worldwide Cancer Research was established in 1979, survival rates have doubled and the charity has funded over £200million of research in over 30 countries. Raffolux will be donating all proceeds raised for Worldwide Cancer Research to help start new cancer cures, paving the way for many other businesses to work collaboratively with the charity.
Neil Woodley, head of philanthropic and partnership development at Worldwide Cancer Research, said: “We rely wholly on donations from our supporters and partners to help us start new cancer cures, and are therefore delighted to have the continued support from Raffolux.
“During the pandemic we have seen the amazing progress that can be made at speed when the brightest minds around the world pull together. We care deeply about the lives of those affected by cancer; that’s why we’ll ensure tackling the ‘other C’ doesn’t take a back seat and remains a top priority in 2021. Research is what will save the lives of mothers, fathers, daughters, and sons who will be hit by a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime. With the support of platforms like Raffolux and its customers, we can stop the suffering caused by cancer and save the lives of the people we love.”
Sebastian Hansen, head of partnerships at Raffolux, said: “At Raffolux we are continuously working with our charity partners to understand how we can support them in the best way possible.
"Research is imperative in the fight against cancer. Focusing our efforts on one key area will help our players understand exactly where their donations are going and how they are helping, which will in turn encourage them to support in the future. We hope that this step will be the first of many as we continue to grow relationships with our charity partners, to help charities around the UK recognise the value of support that Raffolux can offer.”
Professor Richard Jenner, group leader of the Regulatory Genomics Research Group at UCL, added: “Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a common type of blood cancer that affects over 14,000 people each year in the UK. The number of people surviving the disease has tripled in the last 40 years, but almost half of people diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma still die within 10 years of their diagnosis.
"The generous support from Worldwide Cancer Research will allow us to study a mutated protein in Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, so we can find new ways to stop cancer from progressing, opening the door to the development of new treatments.”
