James Maxwell, who founded the charity in 1999, was a visionary and saw the potential value of the Internet. Our online community formed the foundations for the charity and we have continued to grow this community and our information online – the positive impact of which can be seen not just in the UK, but around the world through our forum. With the implementation of new ‘fact to face’ support services such as local support groups and a helpline, we are now reaching more women affected by cervical cancer and cervical abnormalities in the way they said they wanted. Our awareness campaigns have, and must, continue to ensure that women of all ages understand the importance of protecting themselves from this largely preventable disease through vaccination and screening, but also raise awareness of the disease including symptoms so that early diagnosis improves survival rates.

The charity’s 15th anniversary in 2014 is an opportunity to build on the successes of the past 15 years, and also to take all aspects of our work to another level so that in another 15 years we have gone so much further in seeing cervical cancer a disease of the past.