Anthony Nolan
NEXT Charity of the Year 2024
NEXT have chosen to support Anthony Nolan as Charity of the Year partner by fundraising and volunteering. A team will be taking on the Amazing Northampton Half Marathon Relay to raise vital funds.
Story
NEXT and Unity have selected to support Anthony Nolan as their Charity of the Year for 2023 and 2024.
Anthony Nolan is the charity saving the lives of people with blood cancer in the UK. Back in 1974, Shirley Nolan set up the world’s first stem cell register in a bid to save her son Anthony’s life, who had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. Shirley’s dedication to saving the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders is deeply embedded within the organisation, and despite not finding a match for Anthony, her passion has ultimately ended up saving many more lives.
In the UK, blood cancer is the fifth most common cancer for adults, and sadly, the third biggest cancer killer.
It is also the most common type of cancer in children.
Around 40,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancer in the UK each year, and sadly more than 15,000 people every year lose their lives needlessly.
Every 14 minutes someone in the UK is told that they have blood cancer and, if traditional treatments such as chemotherapy do not work, they are left with only one hope for survival: a stem cell transplant.
This is where Anthony Nolan steps in.
We are incredibly excited to join in partnership with Anthony Nolan. Their work in boosting stem cell donor sign-ups, especially among minority ethnic communities, is truly inspiring. It's disheartening to see that fewer patients from ethnic minorities who need a stem cell transplant have a stem cell donor already on the register — this health inequality is really concerning. Working together with Anthony Nolan we have a chance to make a real difference and save more lives. This collaboration fills us with anticipation and hope for a brighter future. James Nyamuda, Chair of Unity at NEXT
