UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

In March 2005, Cancer Research UK launched its CancerCampaigns initiative with the aim of securing grassroots support for our policy agenda. This followed months of research and consultation and involved a carefully constructed pilot study.

This research showed that 93% of staff and scientists supported the concept of public campaigning. There was overwhelming evidence from focus groups and depth interviews that supporters were very positive about advocacy, seeing it as our ‘duty'.

We believed that a successful advocacy function would not only strengthen our links with supporters, the public, the Government and parliamentarians but it would also achieve/prevent legislative change and influence policy.

Our first campaigning issue was around the push of smokefree legislation and involved both online and offline activity running alongside our policy, parliamentary, press and advertising work.

Using a variety of mechanisms we mobilised various groups at points throughout the campaign that culminated in a successful Valentine's Day vote in the House of Commons. MPs voted by a majority of 200 for comprehensive legislation despite the original bill proposing only a partial ban. 25,000 supporters took part in campaigning activity and 92% of MPs had been contacted by, on average, 15 Cancer Research UK supporters.

Before the vote the charity had been quoted about 1,400 times in newspaper articles and broadcast stories on the ban. This translates as approximately 510 million ‘opportunities to see' our message calling for the ban.

In the last year we have learned a great deal about what works and what doesn't work. As we take campaigning forward in the charity we are keen to ensure that our messages resonate with the public and that we achieve real political change for the benefit of patients and the public alike.

For further information please see: http://www.cancercampaigns.org.uk/