We describe the aims and aspirations for the Digital Curation Centre (DCC), the UK response to the realisation that digital information is both essential and fragile. We recognise the equivalence of preservation as "interoperability with the future", asserting that digital curation is concerned with "communication across time". We see the DCC as having relevance for present day data curation and for continuing data access for generations to come. We describe the structure and plans of the DCC, designed to support these aspirations and based on a view of world class research being developed into curation services, all of which are underpinned by outreach to the broadest community.