We’re happy to announce that Prevent Breast Cancer has entered a partnership with The Tim Bacon Foundation.
The Manchester-based foundation was launched in honour of Living Ventures founder Tim Bacon, who sadly passed away in April 2016, and it will be donating a very generous £100,000 to help support our vital research.
Australian-born Tim – who originally started out as an actor in Australia before moving to the UK and becoming a restauranteur – founded the Living Ventures group in 1999, along with his business partner, Jeremy Roberts. Living Ventures have been behind many of Manchester’s best-loved bars and restaurants over the years, including Australasia, The Living Room and The Oast House. It also founded The Alchemist, Gusto and The Botanist, which all found success as nationwide chains.
In 2000, Tim was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at the age of 36, after finding a lump. Fourteen years later, after a period of remission, he was diagnosed with stage III melanoma. Despite the health problems that he was facing, Tim continued to work as normal and live life to the full, until he passed away in April 2016, at the age of 52.
Jeremy Roberts – Tim’s business partner – created The Tim Bacon Foundation in Tim’s honour to recognise his achievements and to carry on his legacy and spirit of generosity. Supported by the Living Ventures Group and Tim’s friends and family, Jeremy set up the foundation to support charities for people who are living with cancer. Its first appeal raised a staggering £500,000 for the UK’s first Proton Beam Therapy centre at The Christie Hospital, which was matched with European research funding worth £1.5m. The Foundation also supports Maggie’s Centre at the hospital, which offers practical, emotional and social help for cancer patients and their families.
This donation will help fund our research into breast density, which is the second-highest risk factor for developing breast cancer, after age. Having a high level of breast density not only means that cancer may go undetected on a mammogram, but it also increases the risk of developing the disease. Although women with dense breasts are up to six times more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, scientists are still not sure why this is the case.
The funding will go towards two research projects based at the University of Manchester. Both projects aim to help our scientists better understand this risk factor to protect future generations from the disease. One of the projects examines both high- and low-density breast tissue from women who are undergoing surgery, and the other investigates the specific changes to DNA that lead to cancer developing. We hope these projects will pave the way for further discoveries to improve the breast cancer screening process and potentially lead to new avenues for the prevention of the disease, like the development of drugs to reduce breast density levels.
By teaming up with The Tim Bacon Foundation, we hope to increase awareness about breast density as a risk factor for breast cancer. As part of the partnership, we’ll be hosting joint events over the course of the year, as well as collaborating on online content – so watch this space!
Jeremy Roberts, chair of the Foundation, said:
“Tim was always vibrant, inspiring and generous. He faced his personal battle with cancer with the exact same courage and strength that he carried with him throughout his life. I am inspired by him every day, and I wanted to ensure that his spirit was not forgotten. The Tim Bacon Foundation aims to help charities who have research projects that make a real difference and who offer help and support for anyone that has been affected by cancer.
“Prevent Breast Cancer do incredible work, funding ground-breaking research into the prediction and prevention of the disease. Our donation will be directly funding the research into breast density, one of the biggest predictors for breast cancer. It’s amazing that there is such a substantial gap in research in order to help prevent the disease for future generations.”
To find out more information about the Tim Bacon Foundation, its lively events and fundraising, visit https://timbaconfoundation.co.uk.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.
About Prevent Breast Cancer
Prevent Breast Cancer is the only UK charity entirely dedicated to the prediction and prevention of breast cancer – we’re committed to freeing the world from the disease altogether. Unlike many cancer charities, we’re focused on preventing, rather than curing. Promoting early diagnosis, screening and lifestyle changes, we believe we can stop the problem before it starts. And being situated at the only breast cancer prevention centre in the UK, we’re right at the front-line in the fight against the disease. Join us today and help us create a future free from breast cancer. If you have any questions or concerns, email us today.