Our Mission
Supporting people
with asbestos cancer
Mesothelioma UK is the national charity for anyone affected by mesothelioma. We exist to support people with mesothelioma to live better and live longer and to prevent mesothelioma happening to future generations. We will do this by advocating for better treatment and care, enhancing quality of life, supporting research and amplifying the patient’s voice.
Established in 2004 as a Macmillan resource centre in Glenfield Hospital Leicester the charity has grown rapidly, becoming an independent Charitable Trust in 2008 and a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2018.
The focus of our charitable activity since our foundation has been to provide access to specialist nurses at the point of need, in local hospitals across the UK. Mesothelioma Clinical Nurse Specialists provide a large range of benefits including; specialist expertise available to patients, increased access to clinical trials, an increase in the number of patients accessing treatment, a lower rate of unplanned admissions, better management of symptoms and an overall increase in the quality of life for patients.
At Mesothelioma UK, we also provide a number of other services to support anyone affected by mesothelioma. These include a Freephone Support Line, two specialist benefits advisors, a travel grant to support the cost of accessing clinical trials, a dedicated research centre at Sheffield University and a comprehensive information service accredited by the Patient Information Forum. Services such as this helped us directly support 1900 patients or carers in 2020/21 and reach a further ~500 people indirectly.
We understand that people diagnosed with mesothelioma feel very strongly about preventing future cases. That is why we work closely with partner organisations to raise awareness of asbestos and to shine a light on the devastating impact of mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma UK Charitable Incorporated Organisation is a registered charity in England & Wales (1177039).
Strategy 2022-2025
This strategy sets out our vision for mesothelioma support over the next three years.
Research Strategy
In 2020 for the first time we published a research strategy which covers the period 2020 – 2023. The strategy outlines the charity’s plan to offer a range of grant opportunities that will fund research and explore patients’ experiences of care, through to research on patient treatments and outcomes of care.
Fundraising Regulator
Mesothelioma UK is a member of the Fundraising Regulator. We have committed to abide by the Code of Fundraising Practice and to the Fundraising Promise.
Cancer 52
Mesothelioma UK is proud to be a member of Cancer 52. 55% of UK cancer deaths are from rare and less common cancers.
Despite this, these cancers remain severely under represented and under-funded across all areas, including policy, services and research.
Cancer52 is an alliance of nearly 100 organisations working to address this inequality and improve outcomes for patients with these highly challenging diseases.