Hidden gem in Stockport holds answers to the future for us all

Hidden on an industrial estate in Stockport is one of the most important science facilities on the planet. UK Biobank collects health data and samples from around half a million volunteers - and it could hold the answers to help us all live longer and healthier lives.

Nowhere else on earth offers scientists so much data of this kind, which researchers around the world use to identify the causes of diseases and work out how to treat them. It has helped predict Parkinson's disease in people seven years before it is diagnosed using physical activity monitors like Fitbits and reduce heart disease later in life by offering lifestyle advice to those with high genetic risks.

The NHS has already benefited from projects which have been made possible thanks to UK Biobank. In a world first, a pilot scheme has been conducted allowing GPs to identify those at high genetic risk of cardiovascular disease in a way that was not possible before.

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Big pharmaceutical and tech companies also commission work for the charity to do. But the day-to-day costs of running the facility are funded by the taxpayer, with the latest investment of £127m helping build a new home for the centre at Manchester Science Park.

This week, science, innovation and technology secretary Michelle Donelan, visited the world-leading facility in Cheadle Heath, where tens of millions of samples are stored - including 10m tubes of blood. With a new home to store more samples being built, which has partly been funded by philanthropic donations, UK Biobank will provide more 'unrivalled' data on human health and disease faster.

This includes investigating different types of dementia and cancer, allowing for