MACMILLAN CANCER APPEAL: IN 1911 a young man named Douglas Macmillan, left, watched his father die of cancer. His father's pain and suffering moved Douglas, then aged 26, to call for basic standards for all people with cancer.

He wanted advice and information for all, homes for cancer patients, providing free or low cost care and voluntary nurses supporting patients in their own homes.

As a means of achieving these standards, Macmillan founded the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer in 1911.

Macmillan expressed his vision of equality in cancer care. He said: "I want even the poorest people to be provided with the latest and best advice, both for avoiding cancer and for recognising and dealing with it where it exists.

"I want to see homes for cancer patients throughout the land, where attention will be provided freely or at low cost, as circumstances dictate.

"I want also to see panels of voluntary nurses who can be detailed off to attend to necessitous patients in their own home."

Douglas Macmillan died in 1969, aged 84. Here are some of the charity's achievements:

1911 Douglas Macmillan established the Society for the Prevention and Relief of Cancer, providing information on recognising, preventing and treating cancer to patients, doctors and the public.

1924 The charity became a Benevolent Society and changed its name to National Society for Cancer Relief, providing practical help to patients and their families.

1934 The first local committee was formed in Bath.

1969 The charity began to support in-patient care, making its first contributions towards building hospices.

1975 The first Macmillan nurses were funded in the UK.

1980 £2.5m was invested to expand Macmillan nursing teams throughout the UK.

1986 Macmillan funded its first Macmillan doctor.

1989 The charity's name changed to Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund.

1991 The Macmillan Nurse Appeal was launched to raise £20m with the Prince of Wales as patron.

1993 The Prince of Wales funded the 1,000th Macmillan nurse.

1994 The charity pioneered 10 minimum standards of care as part of a nationwide campaign about breast cancer.

1995 Macmillan developed the first Directory of Breast Cancer Services in the UK, giving it to GPs.

1997 The charity's name changed to Macmillan Cancer Relief. More than 1600 Macmillan nurses were in post. Macmillan also published The Cancer Guide, a guide to treatment and care for patients, and the Macmillan Cancer Relief Information Line opened.

1999 Macmillan launched a voice for life to give people with cancer the chance to have their voices heard.

2000 The charity funded its 2,000th Macmillan nurse.

2001 Macmillan merged with Cancerlink after a 16-year association, and the first Macmillan Mobile Information Centre visited 51 sites across England.

2002 Macmillan completed its 100th building project, a day centre at Craigavon in Northern Ireland and the Macmillan CancerLine service was launched, integrating the existing Macmillan Information Line and Cancerlink's Support link services.

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