Gearing up for Northampton ‘Marrow Recruitment Drive’ next week

Northamptonshire residents can help increase people’s chances of surviving cancer by attending registration events organised by the University of Northampton’s ‘Marrow Group’ next week.

Blood stem cell and bone marrow donations are urgently needed to save lives and the ‘Marrow Recruitment Drives’ are being held to recruit new, potential donors to join the UK’s national register.

The events will include information about what the donation process involves if a candidate is picked, and how a life can be changed by a simple act of kindness.

They are taking place on the following dates:

• 11th December: 9:30am-15:30pm, Avenue Campus, in the Maidwell reception
• 12th December: 3-5pm at our Park Campus, in the ICLT building.

Although registrants from all backgrounds are needed, most pressing are those from black and minority ethnic populations due to a current lack of donor candidates.

Members from those communities are called upon to attend and to also spread the word about the events to their friends and family members.

The events are being organised by third year BSc (Hons) Human Bioscience student Jack Whitehouse, who said: “The aim of these events is two-fold, firstly to welcome new donors onto the register, but to also demystify the donation process and talk about what that that involves for people.

“We have a busy year ahead of us and have formed a ‘Marrow Committee’ to keep the momentum going, so we are looking forward to meeting people next week so we can ensure everybody has a better chance of surviving blood cancers.”

The Anthony Nolan Trust was created in 1974 by Shirley Nolan, whose three-year-old son Anthony was in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. Shortly after this, she set up the world’s first register to match donors with people in need.

For more information about the recruitment drive, email Jack.

Find out more about the work of the Anthony Nolan Trust, see their website.