Formed in 2002 through the merger of the Cancer Research Campaign and the Imperial Cancer Research Fund, two organisations that had each spent decades funding cancer research, Cancer Research UK brought together nearly a century of scientific expertise under one roof.

Its mission is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured, through research into prevention, diagnosis and treatment.

The charity funds scientists and doctors across the UK, runs a database of clinical trials, and provides trusted information and support to patients and families through its nurse helpline and online resources.

But its work goes beyond funding laboratories.

Cancer Research UK also campaigns for the public health policies that prevent cancer in the first place, from tobacco control to sun safety, and works to ensure new treatments reach patients as quickly as possible.

Its vision is ultimately about something much bigger than any single breakthrough: a future where cancer no longer costs so many lives, and where everyone affected by it gets the best possible chance.

This matters as cancer remains one of the greatest health challenges of our time, touching almost every family in some way. Making progress means moving beyond hope alone and asking a more important question:

What would it take to make sure everybody, everywhere, survives their cancer?

At 30 for 30, we are proud to celebrate a charity that has spent more than two decades, built on a century of research before it, working towards exactly that.

Today, we celebrate Cancer Research UK, and everyone working to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.

Find out more about Cancer Research UK at www.cancerresearchuk.org