Please read on even if politics isn't really your thing

If you are like me you are probably already weary of politicians making their pre-pre-election speeches. It is a bit like those cycle races where they all crawl along because no one wants to be the first one to break into a rush to the finish. But the only thing that is certain is that there will be an election in the next six months!

Breast Cancer Campaign has left the starting blocks with our election campaign. In our sector there will be much lobbying about health, treatments, waiting times – the list will be long and the number of organisations will be many. We will support any collaborative efforts but we are focusing on something which many will not know about but which could have a devastating impact on research in the UK.

We are asking our supporters to write to their local parliamentary candidates (we make it very easy – just a few clicks away) about something called the Charity Research Support Fund. Why should you care? Well this is a government fund which helps pay the infrastructure costs of charity funded research in universities like heating, building repairs, cleaning etc (around 20-30 per cent of the total cost of medical research projects). This means we can focus our funds on the direct costs – the scientists and the laboratory supplies necessary for breast cancer research. As a result our donations go further in improving treatments and finding a cure for breast cancer.

Charities spend over £900 million each year on medical research – if this fund goes it will effectively slash the amount of research provided by charities. We will have to reduce the number of grants we make each year by about a quarter. To give you a real number example – instead of 40 new research projects there will be only 30 – that’s a big difference.

You can be sure that this will not be front page headlines in the papers so we are relying on our supporters to help. It only takes a minute for you to make a difference. Let the people who want to be your next MP know that breast cancer research is an issue you care about.

Click now on: www.breastcancercampaign.org/election

The link will take you to a form that will automatically email your local candidates asking them to back breast cancer research.

The first of my candidates has replied and has agreed to meet to hear more and we have over 200 who have signed up.