Our charity was founded in 2015 with the aim of raising awareness of the different forms of blood cancer and helping to find more effective treatments by investing in specialist new research.
Thanks to the support of our incredible fundraisers and wider community, we’ve made a big impact over the last decade. We’re pleased to share some of our top highlights with you!
- Investing in blood cancer research
Over the last 10 years, we’ve supported multiple research projects which explore the nature, causes, and treatments of different blood cancers.
Each year, we fund a new project through our annual Research Grant Scheme.
- The Model Cell Biobank
It’s been 10 years since we launched our cord blood banking service – the Model Cell Biobank – which helps families to bank their baby’s umbilical cord blood stem cells, should they be needed in the future. We provide part and full funding to qualifying families to use the service and share their stories to encourage others to learn about this potentially lifesaving service.
- Our cord blood banking partner
We partnered with Smart Cells International, the UK’s first private stem cell storage company, to enable families to safely procure, process and store the cord blood stem cells of their newborn baby through our Model Cell Biobank service.
Read more about our partnership here.
- Members of the AMRC
We joined the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), an organisation dedicated to supporting charities that focus on funding medical research.
Our Operations Director, Dr Joanna Tilley said: “The AMRC is a widely renowned organisation providing vital support to research charities, so to be an approved member is testament to our ongoing commitment to invest in the highest quality research.”
- The power of storytelling
We love speaking with our fantastic fundraisers to hear all about their challenges and the reason behind wanting to support our charity.
Not only do we share our fundraisers’ stories, but we also share real-life stories from blood cancer patients about the symptoms they first experienced, their diagnosis, and treatments received.
- Educating others
As part of our mission to educate others on what blood cancer is, the different forms, the common symptoms to look out for, and the treatments available, we produced an informative blood cancer brochure, plus a downloadable poster to place in communal areas, and engaging graphics for social media for people to easily share with their networks.
- Introducing our Charity Ambassador
Team GB Olympic snowboard cross athlete (SBX), Zoe Gillings-Brier, joined us as our official Charity Ambassador.
Zoe is not only one of GB’s most successful SBX athletes of all time, but she is also a busy mother to two young children. Zoe and her husband have banked both of their children’s umbilical cord blood stem cells for future use, should they be needed.
- Working with support groups
We partnered with the West Lancs & Merseyside Myeloma Support Group to share patient stories to help others going through a similar experience.
We also shared tips from members on what they’d recommend people who have recently been diagnosed with blood cancer to do to help with their mental health, as well as their top pieces of advice.
- Corporate Partnerships
Corporate Partners play a strong role in raising awareness of blood cancer through the power of their employees.
To celebrate their 75th anniversary, members of Lister Wilder, a professional machinery and service provider, took part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride raising an incredible £22,250 for our charity. This money was invested into a specialist research project to advance work in exploring better treatments for Myeloma.
- Donate Clothes 4 Sammy Project
We launched a clothing and textile recycling initiative – Donate Clothes 4 Sammy – to help reduce the amount of clothing sent to landfill and raise money to support local schools and charity.
In 2024, the project donated over £5,000 to support schools with over 10,000kg of items collected. The items are sold via our online shop or eBay store, with all proceeds going back into our charity.
We’re looking forward to continuing to raise awareness of the different forms and symptoms of blood cancer through the next decade and beyond, as well as investing in vital new research.
Fighting blood cancer is a team effort and we look forward to playing our part for many more years to come.
