Warwickshire And Cure Leukaemia Extend Partnership

Warwickshire And Cure Leukaemia Extend Partnership

Ian Allen (Chairman, Cure Leukaemia); Dougie Brown (Warwickshire CCC coach and Cure Leukaemia trustee); Ashley Giles (Warwickshire CCC director of cricket and Cure Leukaemia trustee); Colin Povey, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC.

It's another winning partnership. Warwickshire CCC has announced an extension to its partnership with Birmingham-based charity Cure Leukaemia for a further four years until 2016.

As well as the club's links with the charity, Warwickshire's director of Cricket Ashley Giles and coach Dougie Brown are both patrons of Cure Leukaemia.

The partnership deal will see the Club support the blood cancer charity's work across a range of events, including the opening day of this summer's Test Match between England and West Indies at Edgbaston on June 7, on the back of last year’s inaugural 'Cure Leukaemia Day' at the England v India Test Match, which raised £75,000.

This summer's Cure Leukaemia Day will see the cricket club donate £1.50 from every ticket sold for the first day of the Test. It is hoped to raise enough money to fund three new research nurses.

In addition, every junior entrant to the charity's 'Run For A Nurse' 5k Fun Run on May 27 in Sutton Park, supported by BBC WM's Red Alert Appeal, will receive a free kids' ticket for Cure Leukaemia Day at Edgbaston on June 7.

Colin Povey, Chief Executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: "We've been working with Cure Leukaemia on a number of initiatives since 2005 and have seen it experience phenomenal growth. It's now one of the best known charities in the Midlands with the potential to extend its lifesaving work further afield.

"The fact that the charity invests every pound that it raises directly into funding research nurses that administer its lifesaving treatments make it a great local cause that we want to continue supporting.

"Raising £75,000 through the Test Match between England and India last summer was a great achievement, and we are delighted to be able to extend our partnership through to at least 2016."

Cure Leukaemia Chairman Ian Allen added: "This partnership and the generosity of Warwickshire will make a monumental impact on our work in the future. With the combined support of England and West Indies fans on June 7, we can take a giant stride towards curing leukaemia."

The pioneering treatments administered by research nurses funded by Cure Leukaemia, which is based at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, can offer a lifeline for leukaemia patients, who have explored all other options, and ultimately can save lives.