City of London Friends of Cancer Research UK

Our story

“Saving Lives, Having Fun” - that was the mantra adopted by our Group very soon after our founding some 33 years ago. We actually started our fundraising efforts more than two years earlier than that, dipping our toes (and the rest of our feet) in with three charity football matches, as well as quizzes and treasure hunts. We were formally adopted by CRUK’s forerunner (Imperial Cancer Research Fund) in August 1989 and have gone from strength to strength since then. We still do the quizzes and treasure hunts but these are just a part of our portfolio of events nowadays. We much prefer to provide either entertainment or opportunities for individuals to challenge themselves in return for our supporters’ hard-earned cash. Other examples of this are abseils, stand-up comedy shows and football forecasting. We are also very happy to work with corporates to stage team-building events in return for a donation to the cause. We have now raised around £1,500,000 and are always on the lookout for new events to try. All our group are unpaid volunteers and we are open and welcoming for anyone who wants to join our band. Key Milestones: • Founded August 1989 as South Beds Friends of ICRF • Name changed to City of London Friends of ICRF in 1994 • Passed £50,000 raised during early 1997. • Passed £100,000 raised in early 2000. • Named changed to City of London Friends of CRUK upon merger of CRC and ICRF (2002) • Passed £250,000 raised Summer 2004. • Passed £500,000 raised in May 2008 at the second Canary Wharf Abseil. • Awarded CR-UK’s “Flame of Hope” award in the Community Fundraising category June 2010. • Added to the CR-UK Roll of Honour board at the London Research Institute January 2012. • Passed £1,000,000 raised at the Battersea Power Station abseil in August 2013. • Celebrated 30 years of fundraising in August 2019. • Now approaching £1,500,000 raised at our events.