We hope that you have all stayed healthy since our last newsletter and would like to wish you a Happy New Year for 2026.

We would like to thank everyone for their kind donations at Christmas. We are also grateful to the helpers who took part with our Morrison and Tesco collections which raised respectively £992.40 and   £501.20!

We were able to organise a curry night again and were delighted to raise £445.50 and our quiz which raised £528.   A huge thank you for all the unwanted Christmas presents, bottles, and items which are still needed for our tombola, raffles.  Should any of you have any old bottle bags, please, do keep them for Dayl for the lucky dip.

Remember, if your company is choosing a Brand Ambassador or charity of the year, think of us!

As you may have read in the press, a lot of successful research is being done at the moment. Every pound raised does make the difference. We are also looking for sponsors for our annual fun run for prizes for our runners. We only need £100 per sponsor which will mean every penny will go to the research.

We are also very happy to find out that Leo has found a stem cell match and wish him and all his family our very best wishes.

Blood cancer has an open line for anyone who is undergoing any treatment or would like to speak confidentially with the support services team on 0808 2080 888

We are delighted that our long serving Secretary’s son, Jean-Marc, will be running the London Marathon for us in April. You can donate to his JustGiving page by clicking here.

https://www.justgiving.com/page/jean-marc-knoll-5?

Blood Cancer UK website

We would like to thank everyone who has contributed either their time or donations in memory of a loved one over the years and we would like to remember all our friends and family who have lost their battles against blood cancers. For this reason, Anne is busy building a page “In Memoriam”. This is a new project, and we are unable to put too many details, but should you be interested in having a friend or family mentioned on that page, do contact us. Check our website on https://www.bcukbromsgrove.org/  in the next few weeks.

FUTURE EVENTS

QUIZ NIGHT 13^th March:

This will take place at the Avoncroft Art Centre. Teams of 4 £28 for the team. Steve and his family will be present again. 

TESCO COLLECTION Expecting date in March/April

We have applied for a date in March/April and will let you know as soon as we have a confirmation, which will be after the end of February.

WALK OF LIGHTS MARCH 28TH at Cannon Hill Park in Birmingham for a 2.5km or 5km night-time walk and light the way to beat blood cancer. Collect your free lantern upon arrival and become part of the light spectacular!  There are 2.5km and 5km routes to choose from with both accessible for pushchairs and wheelchairs. Cannon Hill Park is accessible by public transport and there is limited car parking on site. Follow the link to register:

https://bloodcancer.org.uk/get-involved/walk-of-light

If you are able to help on the night or simply take part. Please let Nicole on nicnoelharris@aol.com  know as any money raised from you will then go directly to our branch!

FUN RUN MAY 10TH

Our annual Fun Run will take place at Bromsgrove Rugby Club and will consist of a 10k and a 5k race. All runners will receive a medal and all fundraisers with £30 sponsorship will get a running shirt. The 5k route, which can be walked, follows the canal towpath for some of the route so children must be accompanied by an adult. The 10k is more challenging and attracts runners from a wide area even from France! The run will be using chip timing. We would like to stress that the event is limited to 500 runners so do not wait to register.  You can do this online on

https://www.riderhq.com/events/p/2b5ftvz3/f/bromsgrove-10k-and-5k-for-blood-cancer-uk-2026

Should you be able to help on the day or before by putting up posters and marketing the event, please do contact Nicole.

RESEARCH

Our expert’s view on the research

Dr Rubina Ahmed, Director for Research, Policy and Services at Blood Cancer UK, said:

“This new study builds on Blood Cancer UK-funded research, published a few years ago, where three children with leukaemia – a blood cancer – including a young girl called Alyssa were the first in the world to receive a new type of CAR T-cells. By treating a larger group of children and adults who had this aggressive blood cancer, the researchers have shown in this work that this approach can be delivered safely and in a consistent way.

“Importantly, almost all those in the trial reached a deep remission strong enough to move on to a stem-cell transplant, which is often their best chance of long-term survival. This study is vital as leukaemia is the most common childhood cancer and it also gives scientists much clearer information about the treatment’s side effects. These include how long the edited CAR T-cells stay in the body, and why a small number of cancers lose the CD7 marker to hide from treatment.

“These results show real promise that precise gene-editing could become a powerful new option for people with aggressive T-cell leukaemia, especially when standard treatments have stopped working.”

We are pleased to tell you that we have been very busy over the past six months and  managed to raise over £37,357 in the last financial year. We are grateful to all the runners and helpers who turned up for our annual Fun Run and helped raise £11,628. A special thank you to Karen Cartlidge who raised £4732,44 in memory of her friend Pete.  Thank you to everyone who helped at the Elizabethan Market which raised £157.00.  We are also very grateful to Judy Hurst for making cards and selling them on our behalf and to Horace Jukes who raises money by selling some of his paintings.  We wish him a Happy 90^th birthday!

A huge thank you to all the committee members who are working hard to raise such a huge amount of money. Finally, we would like to thank Françoise Hancock who has been with us for many years and is now moving out of the area.  We will miss her and are so grateful to her for her hard work with the tombola and for being part of the committee.

Since the above was written, we have been delighted to learn that the son of our long serving Secretary, Sue Knoll, will be running the London Marathon next year in aid of Blood Cancer UK.

SPECIAL REQUEST FROM NICOLE

You are all aware of my motivation for raising money for this worthy cause. As a committee, we find it harder to raise money but mainly to get people to help us out. I am so grateful to all of you who have for the past years been there.

Do not worry, I will still be here in the years to come, but we are desperate for everyday help. You do not have to join the committee, although, if you are free, would be grateful. We have meetings on Zoom 5 times a year.

 You do not have to do much. As I previously mentioned, it could be finding places to put tins in the town and collect money. This can be done anytime. We are very short of prizes for tombola or raffle. Let your friends know our need.

I find it difficult going round all the shops or clubs in Bromsgrove and elsewhere, to put some posters advertising our events.

The fun run is an event which could do with more publicity, so if you do have any idea on the matter, know someone who would sponsor us, please do contact me

MORRISON COLLECTION 6^th SEPTEMBER

We will be using buckets rather than tins and now have access to a card reader as we are aware that not everyone carries cash anymore and it may be easier to get a donation. If you are free anytime on that day, please contact Nicole nicnoelharris@aol.com

QUIZ NIGHT FRIDAY 17TH OCTOBER

This will take place at the Avoncroft Arts Centre at 7.30pm.  Teams of 4 at £25 per team. Bring your own drinks and refreshments. Steve, our quizmaster, and his family will be present again. Contact Nicole on nicnoelharris@aol.com

CURRY EVENING FRIDAY 7th NOVEMBER

We will be having another Curry Night at Dine India in Catshill at 7.30pm. The cost of the meal is £25 per person and includes a choice from 3 starters and 3 mains, with rice and naan bread as well as a dessert.  Dayl has also organised a fantastic raffle for the evening. Contact Nicole asap on nicnoelharris@aol.com

 CHRISTMAS CARDS

 Blood Cancer UK is now selling Christmas cards. I am waiting for a link to send to show you the stock. You will then be able to contact me to place an order.

GREETINGS CARDS

Judy Hurst is selling some greetings cards at Avoncroft Museum, sending us the profit she makes from her sale. If interested, you can buy them at the shop.

TOMBOLA ITEMS

We have used up 400 tombola prizes and will need to replenish our stock for the Fun Run next year.  A lot of those unwanted presents you may have, raise a great deal of money for our branch. Now that the children are on holiday and whilst doing some clearing out, you may find something which would be of use to us.  We also would appreciate some raffle prizes if you have any.

BOTTLES WANTED

We always need some bottles for our raffle prizes. It doesn’t have to be alcoholic; we can raise money from anything you give us.

TINS IN PUBS OR SHOPS

If you can put a collection tin in your shop or pub, do let me know. I do not have much spare time to go and look for new places such as cafes to ask but this would be greatly appreciated. A great deal of money can be raised that way.

RESEARCH NEWS

New research shows a common diabetes drug may prevent aggressive leukaemia

Research from the University of Cambridge shows that metformin, a widely used and affordable diabetes drug, could prevent a form of acute myeloid leukaemia in people at high risk of the disease. The leading scientific journal, Nature, published the findings. Blood Cancer UK funded the work with additional funds from Cancer Research UK, and the Welcome Trust.

Stem cell transplant research breakthrough gives hope to those with blood cancer

Blood Cancer UK-funded researchers at the University of Birmingham have identified a key target, CD70, to reduce the likelihood of ‘graft-versus-host disease’ (GVHD) which people with blood cancer can develop after receiving a life-saving stem cell transplant. The research, published in Blood Advances, suggests that graft-versus-host-disease could one day be detected and treated.

Late-stage Hodgkin lymphoma drug available for use on the NHS

Today (April 2), drug regulators in England shared that adults with advanced Hodgkin lymphoma have access to a new treatment. They approved brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) in combination with other therapies for routine use on the NHS in England.

We hope that you have all stayed healthy since our last newsletter and would like to wish you a Happy New Year for 2025.

A huge thank you goes to Karen Cartlidge who trekked to Everest Base Camp and in doing so raised a magnificent £4525.93 for our Branch.

We would like to thank everyone for their kind donations at Christmas. We are also grateful to the helpers who took part with our Morrison and Tesco collections which raised respectively £429 and   £482!

We were able to organise a curry night again and were delighted to raise £427 and our quiz which raised a record amount of £860. All this means we are only £2000 off our 1.2 million pounds raised to date since 1988. A huge thank you for all the unwanted Christmas presents, bottles, and items which are needed for our tombola and raffles.  Should any of you have any old bottle bags, please, do keep them for Dayl for the lucky dip.

Remember, if your company is choosing a charity of the year, think of us! As you may have read in the press, a lot of successful research is being done at the moment. Every pound raised does make the difference. We are also looking for sponsors for our annual Fun Run to provide prizes for our runners.

Blood cancer has an open line for anyone who is undergoing any treatment or would like to speak confidentially with the support services team on 0808 2080 888

                                                                        FUTURE EVENTS

QUIZ NIGHT – MARCH 21^st.

We will be returning to Avoncroft Arts Centre where you will be able to bring your own drinks and snacks. The cost will be £28 per team. The quiz will start at 7.30 but we would be grateful for help with setting up the room beforehand.

TESCO COLLECTION – TBC

We have applied for a date in March and will let you know as soon as we have a confirmation.

WALK OF LIGHTS MARCH 29^TH – Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham

This is for a 2.5km or 5km night-time walk to light the way to beat blood cancer. Collect your free lantern upon arrival and become part of the light spectacular! The routes are accessible for both pushchairs and wheelchairs. Cannon Hill Park is accessible by public transport and there is limited car parking on site. Follow the link to register:

https://bloodcancer.org.uk/get-involved/events-and-challenges/walk-of-light-birmingham

If you are able to help on the night or simply take part, please let Nicole know on nicnoelharris@aol.com as any money raised from you will then go directly to our branch!

FUN RUN MAY 11TH

Our annual Fun Run will take place at Bromsgrove Rugby Club and will consist of a 10k and a 5k race. All runners will receive a medal and all fundraisers with £30 sponsorship will get a running vest. The 5k route, which can be walked, follows the canal towpath for some of the route so children must be accompanied by an adult. The 10k is more challenging and attracts runners from a wide area, even from France! The run will be using chip timing. We would like to stress that the event is limited to 500 runners so do not wait to register.  You can do this online on:

https://www.riderhq.com/events/p/nkkzq3rw/f/bromsgrove

Should you be able to help please do contact Nicole.

HOUSE OF LORDS

We were honoured to be invited to the House of Lords by Blood Cancer UK to discuss the following:

• Disparities in care and survival that exist between regions, socioeconomic groups, and ethnicities.
• The UK Blood Cancer Action Plan sets out 17 realistic, but ambitious recommendations for all four UK Governments, across workforce, diagnosis, care, clinical trials and treatment, and data. Produced by blood cancer experts (including healthcare professionals, researchers and people living with blood cancer), this report is a roadmap to a future where all people in the UK have the best possible chance of survival.

As those of you who have been diagnosed with leukaemia realise, it is not always easy to get a diagnosis very quickly, as symptoms in blood cancers can be very similar to winter viruses and therefore, not always spotted. We now have some leaflets on symptoms, treatment and care, should anyone want any further information. You also may look on the Blood cancer UK website to get further information or download any leaflets which may be useful.  Remember, we do not just research into leukaemia but also lymphoma, myeloma and other blood related cancers.

ST PAUL’S CATHEDRAL CAROL CONCERT

Sue and Nicole were invited to a fantastic evening in London, raising money for Blood Cancer UK but also to meet the stars and researchers.  The scientific director and Birmingham researchers would like you to know how grateful they are for all your help in raising money for them to go further with any research needed and for this HUGE THANK YOU!