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.
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
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.
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, JoleonLescott, 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:
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.
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
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
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
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 that signed up at the event
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
Thank you so much to the Allscott Heath FC U9s team for raising money for our charity at their bag pack fundraiser at Asda in Donnington, Telford last Saturday. They raised an impressive £420.45 for Race Against Blood Cancer which will enable us to continue our work saving the lives of people with blood cancer.
We are so proud of the whole team of little lifesavers – and their siblings – for taking on this momentous challenge and giving up their time to support the charity Also thank you to Marcus, Morgan, Simra and Khalis for helping out too!
We’d also like to say a big thank you to ASDA Donnington for having us and to our community engagement manager Gemma Elsmore for co-ordinating the event.
Many thanks to Race Against Blood Cancer’s friend, Matt Murray, who has been responsible for a £500 donation to us this week.
Matt has been working with creative agency ‘Material’ on the current SSE Women’s FA Cup campaign, and amazingly, he decided to donate his fee to Race Against Blood Cancer.
Your ongoing support of our work is incredible Matt, thank you.
Matt Murray (right) with his friend and fellow ex-Wolves player, Carl Ikeme (centre) and the Race Against Blood Cancer team
