Home  |  News
News & updates
All the latest news, updates, blogs & events from Race Against Blood Cancer

Regular giving

Will you become a friend of the charity and make a regular donation to support our work?

Since the charity began in 2015, we’ve made things happen:

• We have now recruited nearly 10,000 potential stem cell donors; more than 130 of these have been identified as a match for a blood cancer patient in need with 16 going onto donate their stem cells to a blood cancer patient, giving them a second chance at life.
• An incredible 37% of the potential donors we have recruited are from minority ethnic communities, compared to just 15% of those on the whole donor register.
• 38% of our potential donors that have completed the lifesaving donation process for a patient in need are from minority ethnic communities compared to just 4% across the donor registry as a whole.

We may be a small charity, but we have big ambition, low overheads and people who care – like you.

Just £3 a month could support the recruitment and training of a volunteer to raise awareness of the issues surrounding stem cell and bone marrow donation in their local community.

By making a donation of £5 a month, the charity would be able continue its programme of donor registration across the UK.

A £10 monthly donation would give us the opportunity to respond to urgent patient appeals where no matching donor exists, by running emergency donor drives on their behalf.

We will not stop until all blood cancer patients – regardless of their ethnicity – have an equal chance of a quality stem cell match and in turn, a second chance at life.

With Covid-19 having a significant effect on our income, we need the support of our community more than ever.  Please join us by committing to a regular gift today.

To donate £3 a month visit https://pay.gocardless.com/AL0003JFWARG2A 

To donate £5 a month visit https://pay.gocardless.com/AL0003JFWC62WB 

To donate £10 a month visit https://pay.gocardless.com/AL0003JFWD0J7K

Thank you


‘In Their Shoes’ Our September challenge

runner
Take 122,314 steps this September and become a lifesaver

We are asking people to step forward this Blood Cancer Awareness Month this September by taking 122,314 steps ‘In their Shoes’ to create awareness of the issues surrounding stem cell donation in minority ethnic groups, as well as raising funds for Race Against Blood Cancer so that we can continue our vital work. 

Why am I being asked to do 122,314 steps?

There are currently 122,314 potential donors from a minority ethnic group on the UK register, making up a mere 15% of the total number of donors available.  Currently only 1 in 5 blood cancer patients from a Black, Asian, mixed-heritage or minority ethnic background will find a matching stem cell donor to give them a second chance at life.

How long does the challenge last for?  Is there a daily step commitment?

You have the whole month of September to complete the challenge.  As long as the total number of steps ‘In their Shoes’ are reached within that time, it doesn’t matter how you split them.  You can run, walk, hop or dance – it’s totally up to you how you take them.

Why September?

Blood Cancer Awareness Month is an international focus to raise awareness of blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.  Charities and health organisations across the globe use this time to raise awareness of the symptoms of disease, issues affecting patients and potential treatments available.  We are using this time to raise awareness of the lack of ethnic diversity on the UK stem cell register; just 20% of patients from BAME backgrounds find a best match donor, while 69% of those from white, northern European backgrounds do.

How do I get involved? 

Contact the team, either through social media messaging or by emailing us

How do I set up a sponsorship page? 

There are two ways you can do this:

  • Set up a facebook fundraiser – On our facebook page, click on Fundraisers in the top menu, then ‘Create a Fundraiser’.  It’s as simple as that!
  • Create a Virgin Money Giving page – visit www.virginmoneygiving.com and click on ‘Start fundraising’.  The site will talk you through the process.

If you have any queries about setting up your page, please contact us.  Don’t forget to remind sponsors of the importance of gift-aiding their donation should they be eligible.

What’s in it for me?

Apart from the incredible awareness raising work that you’ll undertake just by doing your challenge, we will provide all registered participants with one of our ever-so-fancy ‘In their Shoes’ t shirts upon completion of the virtual event.

How do I join the donor register? 

You’ll find information on how you can do this here

Any questions?

Email us here


Race Against Blood Cancer receives significant funding thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery

We’re celebrating after being awarded £20,000 from People’s Postcode Trust to further our engagement work.

It is estimated that there are 2,000 people in the UK awaiting a stem cell transplant with chances of a match varying widely due to a patent’s ethnicity; a white northern European person needing a transplant will have a 69% chance of a stem cell match, while a patient from a black, Asian or minority ethnic group has just a 20% chance of achieving the same. 

While our aim is to ensure that every patient receives the best possible stem cell match, we will be is concentrating efforts in geographical areas with significantly diverse populations.

Over the last three and a half years, we have worked across Staffordshire and London with a small team of volunteers, recruiting potential stem cell donors for the UK-wide stem cell register. This has produced excellent results, with more than 100 patient matches and 14 going on to donate stem cells or bone marrow for a patient in need.

Recognising that this is not enough and tackling the urgent need to sign up potential stem cell donors, we will be using the funding from People’s Postcode Trust to extend our community engagement work; launching a new project to widen the charity’s reach in the West Midlands and raising awareness of the importance of becoming a registered donor – especially for those groups who are underrepresented due to race, ethnicity or gender.

In order to fulfill the brief, we will be working with local communities to recruit potential stem cell donors, as well as raising awareness of the importance of donation for blood cancer patients and the donation process itself.

In response to the funding, Julie Child, General Manager here at Race Against Blood Cancer, said “We are delighted to have received this grant thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery, which will enable us to significantly increase the number of potential donors we will be able to add to the stem cell register. By focusing on a number of recruitment areas – including people from ethnic minority communities – we hope that this role will take us closer to our vision; that one day, every blood cancer patient will have an equal chance of a stem cell match, regardless of their ethnicity.

Unfortunately, we are unable to commence the project at present due to coronavirus restrictions. However, we look forward to launching the project as soon as we are able, and are delighted to be working with the People’s Postcode Trust to make our vision a reality.”

As a small charity, we have been hugely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, particularly since our largest awareness and fundraising event yet – Carl Ikeme’s Big Race Against Blood Cancer – has been postponed.  Like many small charities, the catastrophic impact of coronavirus has significantly affected our income over the last few months. Yet we still have important work to do to achieve our vision – that one day, all blood cancer patients will have an equal chance of a best possible stem cell match.

To find out more about supporting Race Against Blood Cancer during this time, contact us on info@raceagainstbloodcancer.com


Sponsorship for Carl’s Big Race

Carl’s BIG Race Against Blood Cancer In 2020, we are delighted to be working with an ex-professional footballer on a project to raise £50,000 for the charity, as well as recruiting 1,000 new donors to the stem cell register. Carl Ikeme, who will be cycling with fellow ex-England footballer and TV pundit, Joleon Lescott, will be joined by a group of fundraisers and undertaking a challenge to cycle 555 miles across the country in six days to raise awareness of the importance of stem cell donation.

En-route, Carl will be visiting a number of high-profile football clubs to spread the message and we expect the surrounding publicity to significantly impact surrounding stem cell donor recruitment – especially among men and the BAME community.

Day 1 (4 May) Middlesbrough – Accrington Stanley – Stockport County TOTAL 132 miles
Day 2 (5 May) Stockport County – Doncaster Rovers – Sheffield United TOTAL 83 miles
Day 3 (6 May) Sheffield United – Leicester City – Northampton (rest stop) TOTAL 110 miles
Day 4 (7 May) Northampton (rest stop) – Charlton Athletic – QPR TOTAL 90 miles
Day 5 (8 May) QPR – Southam (rest stop) TOTAL 90 miles
Day 6 (9 May) Southam (rest stop) – Wolves TOTAL 50 miles

Event sponsorship

We have three main objectives for the event:

  1. To recruit 1000 new stem cell donors – especially male and BAME donors

As well as the publicity we expect to generate for our online sign up facility through publicity for our website – we are also running a donor drive at each of the football clubs involved in 2020.

  • To raise £50,000 for the charity.

A target set by Carl himself, we hope to raise £50,000 from this campaign. All the money raised will fund a number of key projects that we believe will take us closer to our goal – that all blood cancer patients have an equal chance of a stem cell match. These projects include:

  • A community engagement pilot project
    • A student recruitment campaign
    • Greater partnership working
    • Recruitment of new volunteers in key geographical areas in the UK.
  • To raise awareness of the issues surrounding stem cell donation and the process itself While the recruitment of donors is essential, real progress can only be achieved if we change attitudes towards stem cell and bone marrow donation. We have to address some of the issues that exist if we are going to drastically improve the survival prospects for blood cancer patients in the long-term.

Publicity, reach and influence

We have a PR plan in place that includes local, national and specialist cycling and football press and commitment from Sky Sports News to cover some of the event. In addition, we have the support and commitment of the football clubs that we will be visiting en route, in fact, the campaign launch is being held at Molineux Stadium – home of Wolves. Between the Charity, Carl and the Clubs, our social media following numbers are in excess of 17 million people:

  Facebook (followers) Instagram (followers) Twi7er (followers)
Carl Ikeme Private page 34,400 49,800
Race Against Blood Cancer 8,000 638 1,200
Middlesbrough FC 431,000 79,900 318,000
Accrington Stanley 35,000 11,200 70,100
Stockport C 22,000 13,500 30,600
Doncaster 128,000 18,200 128,000
Sheffield United 206,000 144,000 281,000
Leicester City 6,659,000 3,500,000 1,480,000
Charlton 199,000 51,100 158,000
QPR 687,000 98,700 427,000
Wolves 1,170,000 674,000 507,000

Sponsorship options

Platinum sponsorship (one available @ £6000)

Your business will be the main sponsor of the event with the following benefi ts:

  • Headline sponsorship in all publicity materials and recognition press events.
    • Weekly mentions in all social media posts prior to the event and daily while the ride is taking place.
    • Large logo on front of cycle jerseys.
    • Large logo on support vehicles.
    • A visit from Carl to your premises, at a time to be mutually agreed.
    • Our team will host a donor drive at a location to be agreed; this could be held at your offices or at other events you are supporting.

Gold sponsorship (two available @ £3000)

Your business will be a key sponsor of the event with the following benefi ts:

  • A mention in the body copy of all publicity materials and recognition press events.
    • Weekly mentions in all social media posts prior to the event and daily while the ride is taking place.
    • Second tier logo on cycle jerseys.
    • Medium logo on support vehicles.
    • Our team will host a donor drive at a location to be agreed; this could be held at your offices or at other events you are supporting.

Silver sponsorship (four available @ £1500)

Your business will be a sponsor of the event with the following benefi ts:

  • A mention in the notes of all publicity materials and minor recognition at press events.
    • Weekly mentions in all social media posts prior to the event and daily while the ride is taking place.
    • Third tier logo on cycle jerseys.
    • Logo on support vehicles.
    • Our team will host a donor drive at a location to be agreed; these could be held at your offices or at other events you are supporting.

Contact

For further information about the sponsorship opportunities or ways in which your business can support Race Against Blood Cancer, please contact the event manager Julie Child on julie.child@raceagainstbloodcancer.com or (+44) 07944 405083.

For the Sponsorship Pack download our brochure

https://www.raceagainstbloodcancer.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Corporate-Sponsorship-Brochure-RABC-2020-.pdf


Carl Ikeme’s BIG Race Against Blood Cancer

Carl Ikeme
Carl Ikeme

We are delighted to be working with former professional goalkeeper, Carl Ikeme, on a huge challenge for 2020.  Carl, along with a group of other fundraisers, will be taking on a huge 555 mile cycle challenge across England to raise funds for the charity and awareness of the issues surrounding  stem cell registration – especially among the BAME community.

As Carl says:  “After my own diagnosis with leukaemia back in 2017, I discovered that my treatment options would be limited due to the lack of ethnic diversity on the stem cell register. Race Against Blood Cancer is trying to change all that; I’ve been involved with the team for more than a year now and so wanted to take on a challenge to raise funds and awareness, as well as creating opportunities to increase the number of potential stem cell donors on the register.

Though I was signed to Wolverhampton Wanderers for my entire career, I also played on loan for a number of other clubs and this gave me an idea. Building on the training I did for a recent bike ride, I’m planning to cycle 555 miles in six days, stopping off at all the clubs I represented during my career.

I’ll start at Middlesbrough on Monday 4 May, before winding my way down (and then back up!) the country, finishing at Wolves during half time on Saturday 9 May. The route I’ll take is as follows:

A map showing Carl's route
A map showing Carl’s route

Day 1 (4 May) Middlesbrough – Accrington Stanley – Stockport County TOTAL 132 miles
Day 2 (5 May) Stockport County – Doncaster Rovers – Sheffield United TOTAL 83 miles
Day 3 (6 May) Sheffield United – Leicester City – Northampton (rest stop) TOTAL 110 miles
Day 4 (7 May) Northampton (rest stop) – Charlton Athletic – QPR TOTAL 90 miles
Day 5 (8 May) QPR – Southam (rest stop) TOTAL 90 miles
Day 6 (9 May) Southam (rest stop) – Wolves TOTAL 50 miles”
If you wish to sponsor Carl, please visit his fundraising page at www.virginmoneygiving.com/carlikeme or for more information about the event contact us

Interested in Sponsoring this event? Corporate Sponsorship Brochure RABC 2020








Photo by Gary Spears from Pexels

Help Christmas Wishes Come True

Today, five people will begin their search for a stem cell donor, could you buy them a second chance at life this Christmas?

In 2020, we aim to launch a pilot project in the West Midlands to recruit 11,000 new donors – especially those from minority groups – to the stem cell and bone marrow register.
We need your help to make this happen.

The Trustees at the Roger Counter Foundation have generously agreed to match the first £15,000 of donations to the project so any gift you make is doubled.

Please, help Christmas wishes come true.

A number of our supporters have kindly agreed to share their own stories in the hope you feel able to support this year’s appeal:

Khaleel with his sisters and brother
We worked with Kelly and her family to find Khaleel (left) a donor

The Patient’s Story
Kelly explains how important our community work is to families that are seeking a stem cell donor:
“We became involved with Race Against Blood Cancer through a member of the team when my son, Khaleel, relapsed with leukaemia. He needed an urgent stem cell transplant and the charity ran donor drives all over to try to get more people to sign up to the register and find him a match.
The charity makes a huge difference in the community, pretty much everyone locally now knows how important becoming a donor is. People always make a point of telling me how they’ve signed up at one of the donor drives as soon as they realise Khaleel’s my son. It makes me proud to know that he helped the charity to spread the word of the importance of being on the stem cell register.
Sadly Khaleel passed away after his transplant but we continue to work with Race Against Blood Cancer; every year the charity holds a fun day ‘Remembering Khaleel’ it’s always a great turn out and they sign up more new donors to help other patients seeking a match’.

James Burton
James donated his stem cells to give a patient in Australia a second chance at life

The Donor’s Story
James explains why he’s supporting our appeal for funding this Christmas:
‘Friends of mine started the charity when one of our group was diagnosed with blood cancer, so I jumped at the chance to join the register. A couple of years passed and I was told I was a match for a patient in Australia; I went on to donate my stem cells shortly after.
To me, the work that the charity does is so important, in an ideal world there would be a presence in every community. Having a Community Engagement Manager in the West Midlands will mean an increase in the number of registered donors, resulting in more people across the world being offered the chance of life-saving treatment.”

Bex (right) became involved with the charity after donating stem cells for her sister Natalie (shown)
Bex (right) became involved with the charity after donating stem cells for her sister Natalie (shown)

The Volunteer’s Story
Our volunteer – and stem cell donor – Bex, is urging you to make a donation to support our work:
“My sister was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2016. Following her first bone marrow transplant, we became involved with Race Against Blood Cancer and have supported the team since.
Being visible on a local level not only increases support but helps to raise awareness of the charity’s message and ethos. It is essential that we get more people on the donor register – things could have been so different for my sister. Everyone diagnosed with a blood disorder should have an equal chance of survival.”

Two of our latest donors
Our new donors are registered through DKMS

The Partner’s Story
Our registry partner DKMS explains the impact of having a local presence, and with this much achieved at ad-hoc events, imagine what we could achieve with a full-time Community Engagement Manager:
“From the very beginning, the West Midlands Race Against Blood Cancer representatives have been fundamental in driving the recruitment of donors to the stem cell register, with the volunteer team holding more than 70 events.
The fact that there is a local presence offering awareness, education and support, provides those affected and their families with the knowledge that their community are able to help and want to support them at such a time. This is an enormous boost and cannot be underestimated. The reassurance that such an important message and service is being facilitated by another organisation dedicated to trying to offer patients a second chance at life is a fact that we at DKMS value greatly.”








Shopping online can benefit charity

Next time you are shopping online, think about raising money for us.

An initiative set up by Amazon will raise money for Race Against Blood Cancer while you shop – at no cost to you.  Simply visit the Amazon Smile website, log in as usual and select Race Against Blood Cancer as the charity to benefit; we receive 0.5% of the value of eligible purchases – it all adds up.

Online shopping

Easyfundraising is another way you can support us from the comfort of your own home.  Visit their site, register, and when you purchase from any one of more than 3700 retailers, Race Against Blood Cancer will receive a donation.  All the top stores are on there – including Sainsbury’s, M&S, John Lewis and Argos to name a few.  You can even support the charity with your weekend takeaway – Just Eat are registered on the site too!

 








Wolves legend – Carl Ikeme – is playing his part for our charity dinner event

We are delighted to announce that Wolves legend, Carl Ikeme, is supporting our ‘Be The One’ fundraising dinner taking place this Autumn.

Being held on Friday 6th September at Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton and hosted by Lynsey Hooper of Sky Sports fame, the event promises to be a must for our supporters – as well as any Wolves fan.

As well as hearing Carl speak about his work with the charity, for just £40 guests can enjoy entertainment, a three course meal and an auction of money-can’t-buy items, as well as raising valuable funds for the charity’s work.

As Carl says ‘Race Against Blood Cancer might be small, but it has huge ambition.  After my own diagnosis with leukaemia back in 2017, I discovered that my treatment options would be limited due to the lack of ethnic diversity on the stem cell register.  The charity is trying to change all that; I’ve been involved with the team for more than a year now and I’m delighted that they’ve asked me to support this event to raise funds and awareness for their continuing work”.

We are also delighted to announce that Eleanor Smith, MP for Wolverhampton South West, will be presenting our inaugural supporter awards at the event, where individuals and companies will be celebrated for their incredible efforts on the charity’s behalf.

All the money raised from the dinner event will help us to continue our work to raise awareness of stem cell donation and to increase the numbers and ethnic diversity of potential donors on the stem cell register.

If you are interested in buying tickets for the event, please visit our ticketing website here.  However, if you’d like further information about the event or would like to know more about the sponsorship opportunities available then please contact Julie on julie.child@raceagainstbloodcancer.com

 

Carl Ikeme (centre) with some of the Race Against Blood Cancer team
Carl Ikeme (centre) with some of the Race Against Blood Cancer team

Guests at the last charity fundraising dinner
Guests at the last charity fundraising dinner








Record two day donor drive

Record London donor drive

This week saw the team do their first donor drive with Starcom, who are based in the BBC Televison centre in White City London.

The team set up for two days due to the number of occupants in the building and it was well worth it. There was a steady flow of people over the course of the event and everyone there was helpful and friendly.

In the end they managed to sign up a whopping 266 people!!!!! This is an incredible number and couldnt have been acheived without all the help we received. A massive thank you to Amy Kean and Lorena Di Lello for organising the event, Jayde Jarret, Ellis Parsons, Sarah Robson, Neville, Darren and Alex for helping out over the course of the two days. A special thank you to Emily Carroll from Homeslice for providing us with food over the two days and everyone who came down to sign up and continues to raise awareness.

Two of the Starcom team
Two of the Starcom team that signed up at the event








Thank you Telford

What an awesome turnout on Friday and Saturday at local Mosques in Telford where we signed up people to the stem cell register in the hope of finding a donor for 6 year old local boy Ihsan Khan.

Our amazing team of volunteers led by our community engagement manager, Gemma Elsmore, managed to register 200 people in a combined time of just 6 hours!

Thank you to everyone involved and to all those from the community who registered and showed up to support Ihsan and his family – you have given hope to them and many others searching for lifesaving matches

We would also like to say a special thanks to both venues for allowing us to hold the donor drives at short notice, Imran (Ihsan’s Dad) and the amazing team that helped register on the day – you continue to blow us away with your generosity.

We’ve had an amazing response from the local community who have come together to spread awareness of this important cause – keep your eyes peeled for further donor drives.  Or, if you’d like to register as a potential donor online, please click here

Ihsan Khan and his Father
Ihsan Khan and his Father Imran








What can I do to help? You can help save a life in 1 of 4 ways - find out more
#
Donor register
It takes just a few minutes to sign up & help fight blood cancer
#
Get involved
With campaigns & fundraising events that help save lives
#
Donate funds
Please make a donation so we can get the message out there
#
Raise awareness
Help us show how big the problem is & how easy the solution