Yorkshire Cancer Research Marks 100th Year with Special Tribute to Supporters

Yorkshire Cancer Research is marking its 100th year by paying tribute to those who have contributed to pioneering cancer research in Yorkshire over the past century.

The charity’s 100th year offers people in Yorkshire the opportunity to celebrate and uncover the stories behind the region’s Changemakers; those who, for 100 years, have united to bring life-saving breakthroughs and discoveries in cancer research to Yorkshire.

The charity has commenced its celebration of supporters with a special tribute video, thanking them for their vital role in driving forward life-saving cancer research, while calling on people in Yorkshire to unite for a cancer-free future.  

Since 1925, Yorkshire Cancer Research has been working with researchers, cancer experts, volunteers, fundraisers and people with cancer to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in Yorkshire, saving lives across the region and beyond.

The charity was born in May 1925 when Yorkshire’s notable figures gathered at the Old Medical School in Leeds to found ‘The Yorkshire Council of the British Empire Cancer Campaign’, later to become Yorkshire Cancer Research. One of these founders was Barker Thomas Clegg, a greengrocer and grain wholesaler, who was a passionate fundraiser and campaigner for cancer charities in Yorkshire.

Yorkshire Cancer Research funds £64m of cancer research and services, including 25 clinical trials, giving people across the region the opportunity to take part in and benefit from innovative cancer research. The work funded by the charity provides 175,000 people the opportunity to take part in pioneering cancer research and services, meaning people in Yorkshire and beyond can enjoy thousands more years of life.

Annette Ward from Harrogate is one of more than 1,000 people in Yorkshire who has benefitted from the charity’s pioneering cancer exercise programme Active Together. The programme helps people prepare for and recover from their cancer treatment and is proven to improve survival rates and health outcomes for people with cancer.

Annette took part in the programme following a second diagnosis of breast cancer in 2023 to build up her strength and fitness after treatment. Having initially joined Yorkshire Cancer Research as a volunteer in 2020, she is now Deputy Shop Manager at the Yorkshire Cancer Research Centre and supports the charity in promoting the importance of early diagnosis.

Throughout 2025, Yorkshire Cancer Research will provide people in Yorkshire with a host of fundraising challenges and community events to get involved in, while inviting people to discover more about the charity’s 100-year history of pioneering work and the supporters who help make this work possible.

Wendy and Boyd Midgley, from Bradford, have been fundraising for Yorkshire Cancer Research for nearly nine years, raising £41,000 so far. The couple have hosted a variety of fundraising events, including race nights, raffles and bingo, and continue to help the charity raise awareness of cancer issues in Yorkshire.

Wendy said: “As a family, we have been deeply affected by cancer which is why we continue to donate and fundraise to support the charity’s important work. I lost my sister in June this year after her breast cancer returned for the fifth time, and we also lost our niece three years ago. We feel it’s important to continue to fund early diagnosis and better treatments so people can live longer.”