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The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Cancer charities announce merger plans

This news post is about 4 years old
 

The move will join Pancreatic Cancer Action and Pancreatic Cancer Scotland

Two cancer charities have announced they are to merge.

The move will join Pancreatic Cancer Action (PCA) and Pancreatic Cancer Scotland (PCS).

It also brings together two organisations, managed by two women, each of whom have their own personal story and connection to pancreatic cancer.

Ali Stunt, founder and chief executive of PCA, is a 12-year survivor of pancreatic cancer, while Glasgow-based Fiona Brown, development manager of PCS, lost her mum at age 56 in 2003 to the disease.

This year both charities mark their 10thanniversary and their shared vision is to make the 2020’s the decade for change for pancreatic cancer.

Both organisations were founded in 2010 out of a need for a pancreatic cancer charity focussing on improving symptom awareness, early diagnosis and patient care in Scotland and the UK.

Helped by a wide community of supporters, the charities have grown organically enabling them to make huge strides in advancing support, healthcare, awareness, research and education.

However, there is much work still to be done. Of all the major cancers, pancreatic cancer has the lowest survival rates and these numbers have barely changed in the last five decades.

Approximately 800 people a year are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in Scotland.

While death rates are declining for many other cancers, death rates are increasing for pancreatic cancer.

In Scotland, 781 patients died from pancreatic cancer in 2017, and 811 in 2018.

Addressing the urgent need to take more action, the intended merger of PCS and PCA will enable considerable progress and impact towards making the 2020s the decade of change for pancreatic cancer.

Brown explained: “Since sadly losing my mum to pancreatic cancer in 2003, I have seen too many hearts broken and families devastated by this awful disease, that has been left in the dark for too long. However, I have met many inspirational survivors, like Ali and it’s clear that we can all do more to help ensure we all arrive at the day where we all know more survivors.”

Stunt added: “My ambition remains the same, as it did 10 years ago, that more people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer sooner, in time for surgery to be possible. This is what happened to me, but it was more a matter of luck and circumstance that afforded me the early diagnosis and, once understanding the statistics of this disease, I discovered that chance isn’t something one can rely on to get diagnosed early.

“By coming together, both charities know we can make greater strides in making our vision, a day when everyone is diagnosed early and survives pancreatic cancer, a reality.”

The two charities will continue initially as separate entities, however, will eventually merge into one organisation, subject to approval from OSCR.

It is anticipated that Stunt will be the chief executive, with Fiona Brown managing the Scotland office.