Warwickshire CCC Stumps Up to Save Lives

Warwickshire CCC Stumps Up to Save Lives

Ashley Giles and Jim Troughton pictured at Cure Leukemia HQ

Ahead of the County Championship match against Worcestershire, Ashley Giles and several members of his Warwickshire team visited patients receiving pioneering leukaemia treatments as part of the club’s plans to raise £75,000 for blood cancer charity, Cure Leukaemia.

Players including Warwickshire’s captain – Jim Troughton – took a tour of Cure Leukaemia’s headquarters at the Centre for Haematology, University Hospital Birmingham, where the charity delivers potentially lifesaving treatments to patients that they wouldn’t normally receive through the NHS.

The Bears are building on a long-standing partnership with Cure Leukaemia, by renaming its world-renowned Eric Hollies Stand as the Cure Leukaemia Stand for day one (10 August) of the third npower Test Match between England and the new one-day world champions India at Edgbaston. Additionally, the club will donate £2 from every ticket sold across all five days of the Test to the charity.

Commenting on the visit Ashley Giles, Director of Cricket at Warwickshire CCC and Patron of Cure Leukaemia, said: “It’s fantastic to be involved in a partnership that will actually save the lives of patients suffering with leukaemia, by funding more pioneering drugs that they wouldn’t normally receive through the NHS.

“I’m proud that my county, Warwickshire, is the first in England to stage a similar charitable initiative to the successful McGrath Foundation Test at Sydney in the Ashes last winter. I hope that the thousands of England and India fans in attendance at Edgbaston in August will get behind this worthy cause, and show support for Cure Leukaemia.”

All spectators in the Eric Hollies/Cure Leukaemia Stand for the Test Match at Edgbaston will be given a red t-shirt to adopt the charity’s colour for the day. Collections will take place across all five days with competitions planned to raise further funds.

Professor Charlie Craddock, Founder of Cure Leukaemia and a Consultant Haematologist, said: “With England’s Ashes win ‘down under’ and India’s recent World Cup success, millions of fans from around the World will be watching the Test Match at Edgbaston, and become aware of the ground-breaking work Cure Leukaemia is doing.

“This is the biggest initiative that the charity has been involved with, and by raising £75,000 we could fund three more research nurses to administer more of the life-saving treatments that leukaemia patients don’t normally receive through the NHS. More importantly, we can save more lives and cure leukaemia.”

Based at the Centre for Clinical Haematology (also known as the Leukaemia Centre) at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Cure Leukaemia undertakes world-class research into cures for the disease and employs 15 research nurses to administer treatments at hospitals across the West Midlands.

To find out more about Cure Leukaemia and get involved in future fundraising initiatives, please contact a member of the team on 0121 627 5858 or email info@cureleukaemia.co.uk