Clatterbridge Cancer Charity turned 30 in 2026, and Clatterbridge Private Clinic has actively supported the charity to raise money in its 30th year. The Charity has raised millions for Clatterbridge in those 30 years to enable vital research, buy equipment and pay for key services for patients.
We were, therefore, extremely pleased to have a table at the charity’s 30th Birthday Ball in Liverpool, where guests raised more than £240,000, and we’ve donated a Fortnum & Mason Christmas hamper as a raffle prize for its Festive Drinks evening.
It’s a relationship that goes well beyond a night out. The money the charity raises pays for research and equipment at The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, and some of that research ends up shaping the treatments our consultants can offer. Here’s what happened at the ball, what 30 years of fundraising has paid for, and the other ways the clinic has supported the charity over the past year.
30 years of Clatterbridge Cancer Charity
Clatterbridge Cancer Charity is the dedicated charity for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, supporting cancer patients and their families across Cheshire, Merseyside and beyond. Since it was formed in 1996, supporters have helped raise more than £46 million, according to the charity.
That money has gone a long way. The charity’s own 30th anniversary round-up states:
- £12 million raised towards building The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre – Liverpool
- £5 million invested in clinical trials over five years
- counselling for patients, wigs and scarves for people experiencing hair loss, and presents for inpatients on Christmas Day
- lunch clubs and days out for teenage and young adult patients
In the year to March 2026 alone, fundraisers and donors raised £4 million. That includes a lot of bake sales, abseils and Glow Green Night Walks!
The 30th Birthday Ball: £240,000 raised in one night
The 30th Birthday Ball raised more than £240,000 for research and patient care in Cheshire and Merseyside. Around 400 guests filled the Rum Warehouse at Liverpool’s Titanic Hotel in October, the Clatterbridge Private Clinic table among them.
Comedian John Bishop hosted, guests joined in the fundraising games and an auction, and the room heard directly from patients about what the charity’s money had made possible.
The most powerful moment belonged to Jackie, a grandmother diagnosed with a rare eye cancer that had spread to her lungs and liver. She was given a very poor prognosis, then joined a clinical trial led by Professor Joe Sacco in Liverpool. The charity reports that the experimental treatment has let her live a full life, including being at her daughter’s wedding and the birth of her granddaughter. It’s exactly the kind of outcome the charity’s research funding exists for.
Lesley Woodhead, Fundraising, Marketing and Engagement Manager at Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, said:
“£240k was raised at the Big Birthday Ball celebrating 30 years of Clatterbridge Cancer Charity. Host John Bishop entertained guests, who enjoyed taking part in a huge pass the parcel game. Patient and grandmother Jackie spoke about the clinical trial she is part of that has extended her life. Lady Dalglish was presented with the Chair’s Award to celebrate her 20 years of supporting the charity. This fantastic amount will make a real difference to patient care across Cheshire and Merseyside.”
A Christmas hamper for the Festive Drinks raffle
With Christmas coming, Clatterbridge Private Clinic has donated a Fortnum & Mason Christmas hamper as the raffle prize for the charity’s Festive Drinks evening. It’s the second Christmas running we’ve done this: last year’s hamper went to the charity’s Christmas raffle.
Lesley added: “A huge thank you to Clatterbridge Private Clinic for providing the perfect raffle prize of the Christmas hamper for our Festive Drinks evening.”
Why the private clinic supports the charity
Clatterbridge Private Clinic is part of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre NHS Foundation Trust, and 49% of our profits go back into the NHS. We share buildings and consultants with the NHS centre the charity serves, so its success is our patients’ success too.
Duncan Armfield, General Manager of Clatterbridge Private Clinic, said:
“The private clinic understands and appreciates the amazing work Clatterbridge Cancer Charity does for all our patients. This is why we do whatever we can to help. Over the past year, Clatterbridge Private Clinic has introduced new treatments and drug therapies not yet available on the NHS, some of which have come through research funded by the charity. Having these options pioneered within Clatterbridge means we can keep offering better treatments every year. Happy birthday, Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, and here’s to just as much success over the next 30 years.”
How research and treatment move between the clinic and the charity
The clearest recent example is Hilotherm ChemoCare, a device that cools the hands and feet during chemotherapy to help reduce nerve damage (peripheral neuropathy). Dr Richard Walshaw led the research at Clatterbridge, and Hilotherm has been available to our private patients in Liverpool and Wirral since 2025.
The charity then agreed to buy machines for The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre so more NHS patients could benefit. The Chester 30th Anniversary Lunch we sponsored in March raised enough to buy one of 12 Hilotherm machines, and the charity says Clatterbridge will be the first NHS hospital to offer the technology.
Research runs the other way too. The charity has pledged £5 million over five years to research into new treatments, and that work feeds into the targeted drug therapies and immunotherapy our consultants use. Lung oncologist Dr Carles Escriu, for example, is leading research into improved thoracic cancer treatments.
A year of supporting the charity and our community
The ball and the hamper are just the latest examples. Clatterbridge Private Clinic supports the charity regularly through the year, through event sponsorship, raffle prizes and fundraising by our own team. In March we sponsored the charity’s first Chester 30th Anniversary Lunch, which raised enough to buy a Hilotherm machine for NHS patients, and consultant Dr Ian Lampkin signed up for a trail 10K around Moel Famau and the Clatterbridge Abseil to raise money for the charity.
How you can support Clatterbridge Cancer Charity
You don’t need a ball gown to help. You can make a one-off or monthly donation, back the Clatterbridge Christmas Appeal, or sign up for an event such as the Glow Green Night Walk or the Clatterbridge Abseil through the charity’s events page.
The charity is also three-quarters of the way to the £250,000 it needs to refurbish its Halton treatment unit, so there’s a live target if you’d like your money to go somewhere specific.
Talk to our team
If you or someone close to you is facing a cancer diagnosis and wants to understand the options for private treatment at the Clatterbridge Private Clinic, our senior nurses are happy to talk it through. Call our team on 0151 318 8569 to find out more.
And to Clatterbridge Cancer Charity: happy 30th birthday. Here’s to the next 30!
