began by supporting three charities that were close to our hearts: Cancer Research UK, The National Kidney Research Fund and the British Heart Foundation.  Our first aim in 2004 was to raise £10,000 for Cancer Research UK through a fundraising tour of concerts in the North West involving schools, choral societies, amateur operatic groups and choirs from the local area.  We achieved this aim and continue to do so by donating an average of 10% of our fees to Cancer Research UK.

RAYMOND GROVE, by Alexander Grove.

I found out my father had a brain tumour when I was eleven years old.

He was an extremely successful, happy, handsome man with three sons. He worked all over the world as a creative perfumer for companies such as IFF. I only found out about his cancer by accident, as no one really wanted to broach the subject with me at such a young age. As it turns out, the tumour had been eating away at him for five years. After endless operations and chemotherapy, none of which seemed to work, he gradually began breaking down like a machine with it's parts going rusty. My overriding memories are little things, like when he held my hand in his, and couldn't release it because his left arm stopped working. Or when he wanted to say goodbye to me when I was returning to school, but couldn't as he suddenly couldn't speak. Seeing the tears of frustration in his eyes was heart-wrenching. He turned into a shadow of himself and finally died in a hospice in March 1990.

Nowadays, everyone knows someone with cancer, be it a brain tumour or another form. Cancer Research is vital to stop what is becoming the biggest killer on the planet.