In the beginning the Ninewells Campaign set out to raise £1m and asked the public to Help Dennis Beat the Menace. That appeal brought Professor Roland Wolf to Dundee and led to the creation of the Biomedical Research Centre at Ninewells. The Centre now has over 130 medical scientists who concentrate on environmental and genetic factors in cancer. However, it was clear even from that early campaign that the over-riding objective was to put Dundee and Ninewells at the forefront of the battle against the scourge of cancer.

Stage Two involved a partnership with Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF) and the Hospital Trust to raise money to improve both the quality of research and the quality of treatment for cancer patients at Ninewells. This time, the objective was explained by the appeal ‘mantra’ Help Dennis to Treat the Menace. This campaign raised over £4m which led to the appointments of three new clinical oncologists, Professor Alastair Munro, Professor Elaine Rankin and Professor Bob Steele as well as the develoment of the Princess Alexandra Centre with its own separate entrance to the cancer wards.

The third phase of the Ninewells Cancer Campaign, this time in partnership with the Cancer Research Campaign (CRC) raised £5.3 m under the theme of Help Dennis KO the Cancer. This initiative brought together the quite unique skills of Professor Sir David Lane, discoverer of the p53 gene and an internationally acclaimed cancer specialist with the world leading micro-surgeon, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschierei to create the world’s first Department of Surgery and Molecular Oncology and speed up the links between the basic science and the evolving new treatments.

The Ninewells Cancer Campaign has clearly caught the public’s imagination with many donations being made as a result of the campaign’s high profile and because the donor knows the money will be used locally.

The Ninewells Cancer Campaign also successfully attracts money for breast cancer, liver cancer and leukaemia research. In particular , Breast Cancer Research (Scotland) has in recent times put £1m into supporting the work of the breast cancer specialist at Ninewells, Mr Alastair Thompson. The campaign was also instrumental in attracting £1.5 m from the Barbara Stewart Foundation to support the development of the scottish Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) Unit at Ninewells under the direction of Professor Jimmy Ferguson. PDT uses the combination of a laser light and a drug to selectively destroy certain cancers.

Dundee is now known internationally as a major player in cancer reserach, a fact which has been established not only by the quality of the science and medicine which goes on here, but also through the dedicated fund-raising over the last decade by Dr Jacqui Wood and her colleagues, ably supported by Dennis.