The Central Laser Facility (CLF) is a unique UK asset located at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) and is operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). The primary purpose of the CLF is to serve leading research communities from the UK and Europe that are operating at the forefront of their respective fields and need access to the most advanced and sophisticated facilities available.The CLF has a wide scientific merit, which ranges from laboratory astrophysics to cellular biology, underpinned by a technological heritage that is deep and diverse. The CLF houses two of the world’s leading high power lasers, Vulcan and Astra-Gemini and a suite of state of the art advanced laser systems that form the Astra-Artemis and Lasers for Science Facility (LSF). The CLF has high visibility on the international stage and is widely regarded as an international leader in its fields of operation. It was a founding member of the Laserlab-Europe Integrated Infrastructure Initiative.