Bloodwise

History

Set up in 1960 as The Leukaemia Research Fund, Blood Cancer UK (the trading name of Bloodwise) was founded by Middlesbrough family the Eastwoods after their 6-year-old daughter Susan tragically passed away from the disease. A UK-based charity, it began as a simple fundraising drive before growing and developing into a national charity. Now, it funds research into all types of blood cancers, as well as giving support and offering information to blood cancer patients, their families and loved ones.

At the time of the charity’s founding, survival rates for children with leukaemia were very low, so fundraising began to fund a cure and further treatment options. In the years that followed, the charity’s cause gained popularity with the public and saw it blossom and grow into a full charitable organisation with branches across the UK. Since its inception some 60 years ago, over £500 million has been invested in research projects involved in the clinical understanding, diagnosis and treatment of blood cancers including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.

2011 saw Blood Cancer UK launch a TAP (Trials Acceleration Programme) to spur quicker access to new treatments, and it was quickly approved by the British Government as a model of good practice. Now regularly referenced in medical circles, such programmes aim to make clinical trials easier, quicker and less invasive for patients; with multiple treatment centres offering trials, all coordinated by a central hub. The geographical location of the TAP has allowed for clinical trial access for 20 million people across the UK.

The charity took the name Blood Cancer UK in 2020, and continue to move forward rapidly with research, fundraising and innovative support options. There is no doubt that their impact is tangibly felt by tens of thousands of families nationwide.

Key selling points:

• Over £500 million invested in medical research projects
• Originated the medical TAP model that is now acknowledged as ‘good practice’ and has improved access to clinical trials vastly
• A truly innovative and practical charity that has helped and supported patients all over the country.