Chef Adam Simmonds and his family have long been supporters of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation since Adam’s father died of the disease in 2013.
The charity was founded by cardiothoracic surgeon Professor Ray Donnelly in 1990 in response to what he felt was a lack of research into the disease. The charity was later renamed in honour of the work of much-loved entertainer Roy Castle. The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation is the only UK charity to focus solely on lung cancer.
The foundation is the largest supplier of information on lung cancer to the NHS and has developed more than 50 patient support groups across the UK. From their Glasgow office, the foundation also runs the Global Lung Cancer Coalition, an organisation which embraces more than 30 lung cancer associations in 20 different countries.
It was through Roy Castle – who was thought to have developed lung cancer through years of working in smoky working mens and entertainment clubs – that the issue of passive smoking was brought to the national consciousness. It was a Lung Cancer Foundation trustee who introduced a Bill into Parliament which eventually led to Government legislation regarding smoking in public areas.
The Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation aims to improve survival rates by the screening of high-risk individuals and new therapies to arrest the development of lung cancers found by early detection.
Smoking prevention also remains important; the foundation works hard to educate youngsters about the dangers of tobacco and and the charity’s ‘Fag Ends’ team has helped thousands of people to stop smoking.
