There are many ways in which supporters raise funds for Cancer Research UK's vital research. A few of these are detailed below.

General donations

People chose to donate to Cancer Research UK in a number of different ways. Many people give regular donations of £2 or more a month – we currently have over 1 million regular donors giving over £5million pounds each month. Research is expensive and requires long-term funding. Every one of these donations is invaluable in furthering our life-saving work.

Another way to give is with our Give in Celebration website. This website enables supporters to ask friends and family for donations rather than gifts in celebration of a birthday, anniversary or other special event.

Gill and Leslie Moss used the Give in Celebration website to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary, and their friend Jane, who died of a brain tumour because, "It raises money, and it helps people understand what's important to you."

Legacies

Legacies are vital to finding future cures for cancer, and help us plan vital research far into the future.

Veronica Dillon has included Cancer Research UK in her Will. She says:

"My sisters have had cancer and I've had it myself. I'm leaving a legacy to Cancer Research UK because I've seen the improvements in treatment that research has brought. And research can bring more treatments in the future."

Regional and national activities

Cancer Research UK and its supporters organise many different regional and national activities.

Over 549,000 women took part in our national Race for Life series in 2005. Together they raised over £33.5million for our life saving research. This year there are over 230 Race for Life events throughout the UK.

Dedicated Cancer Research UK volunteers organise Relay For Life. Relay For Life is a unique event that gives communities the chance to celebrate the lives of people touched by cancer. 39 Relay events involving 719 teams took place in 2006 and raised over £1 million.

Corporate fundraising

TK Maxx and Cancer Research UK have joined together for the GiveGet campaign, one of the UK's biggest charity clothes collections.

In 2006 GiveGet raised over £2.7 million worth of donated stock – clothing which was sold through our chain of shops across the UK. GiveGet will be taking place again this Spring.

Our charity shops

We have over 600 charity shops selling both donated goods and new items. We have several specialist shops ranging from entertainment stores stocking books and CDs to our Wishes shops selling gifts and cards.

Sylvia Jones has volunteered for the last 11 years as part of the 25 strong team who volunteer at the Cancer Research UK shop in Cambridge. The energy and dedication of volunteers like Sylvia enable us to keep our charity shops across the UK open and cost effective.

Volunteers also work across Cancer Research UK departments generating income and new support for the charity through their volunteering placements.

More ways to support us

For more information on supporting Cancer Research UK, please visit our Support Us website.