It’s been quite a decade since Sarcoma UK officially launched in June 2011 – a single charity for sarcoma patients, carers and relatives which united the Sarcoma Trust and Sarcoma UK.
This exciting moment was marked by a glittering public launch with Professor Mike Richards and 100 guests at the London Transport Museum timed with Sarcoma Awareness Week.
Ten years on, the charity has evolved into an organisation fit for the challenges of the sarcoma community.
Since 2011, we’ve invested almost £4.3 million into scientific and medical research. We’ve helped more than 3,000 people through the Sarcoma UK Support Line. We’ve worked with national governing bodies, sarcoma specialist centres and many others to advocate for better and earlier treatments for people affected by sarcoma.
None of this would have been possible without you as part of that journey.
None of this would have been possible without you as part of that journey.
While we still have a huge amount to do, there is an awful lot to be proud of.
The importance of people in Sarcoma UK’s evolution and achievements cannot be over-estimated. None of this would have been possible without you as part of that journey. From patients, support groups, volunteers, fundraisers, and scientists, we at Sarcoma UK are looking to a future where we know we can make even more of a difference.
Never was the spirit of Sarcoma UK epitomised than in the summer of 2012. Four people representing the sarcoma community were honoured to be among the 8,000 torchbearers of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay. Jordan Anderton, Paul Barden, Jo Bryant and Pippa Hatch made us very proud.
Before then, we had received our first donation from the amazing, gold-medal-winning athlete Richard Whitehead MBE, who became our Patron in 2013, and continues to lend his tireless support. What better figurehead to keep inspiring us to overcoming challenges?
Our timeline charts some of the many milestones of the last decade. There are the earliest days of our Support Groups online and in-person and our first research grants. Other highlights are our first awareness campaign targeting GPs and the start of our links with No 10 Downing Street as we became Charity of the Year in 2016. It shows how we have continued to make an impact at the highest level through our campaigning and policy work, and for people affected by sarcoma through our expanding Support Line service.
In the midst of a pandemic, we stepped up to deliver for those who needed us most. Thanks to your support, we were able to start our anniversary year with the determination and confidence to continue and flourish.
We began 2021 with new organisational and research strategies – our road maps for the next five years to tackle sarcoma together. We know there will be challenges as well as opportunities and we need to be clear about how we will keep on track.
We have come a long way over the last decade, but we cannot afford to sit back. With your help, we can work toward a time when everyone affected by sarcoma has the treatment, care and support they need. Here’s to the next ten years.
