Skin Cancer Research Fund

Registered Charity Number 284582

The Skin Cancer Research Fund, based at Frenchay Hospital, Bristol, UK.
Founded 1979.

Frenchay Hospital is a major centre for the treatment of skin cancer, particularly malignant melanoma for which it has a national and international reputation.

SCaRF, which is a charity, was founded in 1979 by two individuals, one of whom, Tony Hancock had lost his wife from malignant melanoma of the skin and the other, Dennis Bodenham FRCS who had treated her. The object was, and is, to raise money for public education and medical research into skin cancer, especially melanoma, and also to aid patient support for those suffering. On 22 September 2005 the magic figure of £1,000,000 had been raised for these purposes. Some of the resulting research publications have helped change the way the disease is managed, such as in pregnant women who develop the disease during pregnancy. Public education involves both adults and children and has spread to schools, with the provision of playground shady areas as prizes for what are now annual competitions under the heading 'Play & Shade', thereby alerting children to the danger of too much sun.

The charity also funded the Melanoma Registry, one of the largest UK computerised databases, with detailed records and regular follow up of patients since 1967 - numerous scientific papers have come out of this Registry. (The NHS has now taken over the financing, after many years of SCaRF support). In 2000 the charity linked with the UK Melanoma Study Group and offered to finance modest research projects - funding for this type of activity can be harder to get than major schemes. Such modest schemes have proved productive in the past.

On 6 September PhD student Melissa Gammons of the University of Bristol will start cycling from John O’Groats to Landsend to raise money for SCaRF. She works in Dave Bates' Microvascular Department, a Department SCaRF has regularly supported over the years. If you would like to sponsor her, you can do so through
www.justgiving.com/Melissa-Gammons

Mel will be travelling with three companions each raising money for their favourite charity, they are Luke Bennett raising funds for Southern Spinal Injuries Trust, Simon-John King raising funds for National Ankylosing Spondylitis Society and Nick Beazley-Long raising funds for Off the Record. They hope to cycle between 110 and 140 miles per day

Can you help us to raised funds for skin cancer, especially malignant melanoma, research?

If you would like to raise funds for SCaRF by participating in a sponsored event the easiest and most tax efficient way of doing so is by making your own fund-raising page on the web-site www.justgiving.com and naming SCaRF as your chosen charity. If you would prefer to do things the traditional way the SCaRF Secretary Caroline Newton can supply sponsor forms – telephone 0117 3403130 or e-mail Caroline.Newton@nbt.nhs.uk . We can also supply SCaRF T-shirts so that our logo will be seen on the day.