PEOPLE across the borough are being urged to unite for World Cancer Day today and help raise vital funds.

Alison Barbuti, Cancer Research UK spokeswoman for Merseyside, said: “Today on World Cancer Day it’s important to remember that even though death rates are falling, the overall number of people dying from cancer is expected to increase.

“This is because the population is growing and more of us are living longer.

“Too many people are still being diagnosed with and dying from cancer, and not just here in the North West, but across the UK and around the globe.

“World Cancer Day provides an opportunity for people in our region, all across the UK and beyond, to ‘band together’ for this one special day and show that united we can beat cancer sooner.

“Thanks to research more people are surviving cancer than ever – but there is still a great deal of work to be done to ensure that more families can stay together for longer.

Cancer Research UK is encouraging reader to wear a Unity Band or make a donation which will aid research.

“Wearing a Unity Band is a simple way to show your support and be part of the generation that transforms the lives of millions of people affected by cancer," said Alison.

“Together we can all do something to reduce the impact of this devastating disease.”

Every year around 40,900 people in the North West are diagnosed with cancer and the number of deaths in every 100,000 has dropped from 350 in 2003 to just 310 in 2013,.

However pancreatic and liver cancer death rates have increased in the last decade.