On our namesake’s birthday, Anthony Nolan - the blood cancer charity and bone marrow register - will celebrate the UK’s first ever #GivingTuesday, a global day of giving.

Born on 2nd December 1971, Anthony Nolan was a little boy who changed the world.

Today, he would have turned 43 years old, if he had lived to see the lifesaving impact of the charity that his mother Shirley set up in his name.

Falling directly on Anthony’s birthday, and following Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday provides a charitable antidote to the pre-Christmas consumer boom. It will ask people to follow the biggest pre-Christmas shopping days with a day of selflessness, suggesting they do one simple charitable act on the day.

Here at Anthony Nolan, we are raising awareness of the selfless act of saving lives, either by joining the bone marrow register or making a donation towards our cancer-curing work. It costs Anthony Nolan £100 to a new person to our register – that person could be the lifesaving match that one family are desperately waiting for, so the more money we raise, the more lives we can save.

“Our work is entirely dependent on the altruism of strangers, so it’s very apt that #GivingTuesday falls on Anthony’s birthday.

The greatest gift of all that we can give on this special day is to continue his legacy of selflessness and saving lives,” said Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan.

“That’s why we are urging our supporters to get behind #GivingTuesday this year and do something remarkable for a stranger this Christmas.”

A day to celebrate giving

It is hoped that the #GivingTuesday movement in the UK will replicate the successes of the US, where the charity sector has seen a huge spike in donations on the day.

Last year the campaign had 10,000 partners worldwide, with support from the White House, Kevin Bacon and Heidi Klum, among others.

Led by the Charities Aid Foundation, #GivingTuesday’s UK partners include The Cabinet Office, Glamour Magazine, Homebase, Argos and a wide range of national and local charities.

John Low, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said: “We’re bringing #GivingTuesday to the UK to provide a contrast to the peak shopping days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, to remind us that the spirit of the festive season should be about community and not just consumerism.

"We hope that we can capture the imagination of the British public and permanently establish a day in the calendar to celebrate giving and the fantastic work charities are doing all over the country.”

Please help us save more lives:

Donate online here:

or

text HOPE to 82727 to donate £3

This text donation enables you to donate and receive information about our work and by using it you agree that we may contact you in the future. If you’d rather we didn’t, please send END to 70111.
Texts charged at £3 plus a standard rate text (age 16+, UK mobiles only).

If you’re 16 to 30 and in good health you can join the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register here.