On Sunday July 31, motorcycle fans will make a fundraising round trip from bikers’ haven Squire’s Café, in Sherburn-in-Elmet, to Hawes, in Wensleydale in aid of Anthony Nolan.
Anthony Nolan representatives will be at Squire’s Cafe on July 31 to sign up anyone who wishes to join the stem cell register.They will also be at the café the day before the event - Saturday July 30 - registering donors.NHS Blood and Transplant staff will also be on site on Saturday,giving out information on how people can register as blood and organ donors.
The ride and recruitment drive have been organised in memory of Yorkshire journalist Adrian Sudbury. Adrian, 27, received a blood stem cell transplant – also known as a bone marrow transplant - through Anthony Nolan, which gave him an extra year of life before his very complex cancer returned. In the months before his death, in August 2008, he campaigned for 17/18 year olds to be educated about donation of stem cells, blood and organs.
His efforts resulted in the Register & Be A Lifesaver scheme, which Anthony Nolan runs working with NHS Blood and Transplant. It trains volunteer presenters to deliver talks in sixth forms and colleges, making young people aware of how they could help save lives through donation.
Av’ It For Adrian has been organised by Hannah Wales, a 32-year-old biker and Squire’s Café regular who is also a volunteer presenterwith Register & Be A Lifesaver.
Mum-of-two Hannah, from Sheffield, said: “I got involved with Anthony Nolan after reading about Adrian’s campaign.
“I wanted to do something which would honour his memory and also raise funds. I named the event Av’ It For Adrian because it’s the motto of biker group Tarmac Terrorists, which I’m part of.
“Although Adrian died, his transplant gave him an extra year with his family and, for many people, a transplant’s a successful cure.
“There are still 37,000 people in the world whose only chance of survival is a stem cell transplant.
“Adrian wanted them to have the same chance he did and he believed that if more people knew the facts about donation, more would sign up as donors.”
Anyone aged 18 to 40 can join the stem cell register if they are in good health.
But men aged 18 to 30 are the donors most often chosen by transplant centresfor stem cell transplants and Anthony Nolan is currently running a campaign to recruit 10,000 men aged 18 to 30 onto its register.
Hannah hopes her event will us recruit more young male donors. She said: “I know the biker community is full of young men, so it’s an ideal place to try and recruit some of them to the stem cell register. It’s also a great place to raise awareness about blood and organ donation.”
The bikers will pay £10 to take part in the event and Hannah’s team will be collecting cash donations on both days. All proceeds will go to Anthony Nolan. To get involved with Av’ It For Adrian, contact Hannah on 07950 900153 or email hannahandcraig@blueyonder.co.uk