Liverpool Football Club is delighted to announce that one of its partners, Liverpool's Cancer Research UK Centre, has been granted the Freedom of the City.

As part of the club's Action for Health programme, LFC works with the research centre to increase awareness of cancer through Men's Health courses.

The partnership has already influenced the lives of about 800 men and their families and on February 8, at a grand ceremony at Liverpool Town Hall, those efforts were officially recognised.

Liverpool's Lord Mayor, Cllr Frank Prendergast, said: "Awarding the Freedom of the City is the highest honour we can bestow, and the Cancer Research UK Centre is a most deserving recipient."

Prof John Neoptolemos, Cllr Frank Prendergast and  Dr Harpal Kumar

Liverpool has some of the highest rates of cancer in England and the highest cancer death rate -38 per cent higher than national average.

Each year, 1,330 people from the city die from cancer. However, it is the aim of LFC, through their Action for Health programme, to continue to partner Liverpool Cancer Research UK and make sure those figures drop.

Mark Haig, from our Action for Health programme, said: "We have great plans on how we can further develop this work, we plan to get the 'cancer message' to more and more people who would not otherwise engage with traditional services if it wasn't for that great LFC Badge."