Adrian's dream becomes a reality
ADRIAN Sudbury's dream of seeing talks on bone marrow donation in schools and colleges is one step closer.
Ed Balls and Alan Johnson have announced funding of £40K for a study to find out the most effective ways of raising awareness of bone marrow donation amongst young people.
The money, awarded to leukaemia charity the Anthony Nolan Trust, will support a pilot schools programme that will explore how best to communicate to young people the importance of donating bone marrow, blood and organs.
The pilot is the latest initiative backed by the Government to take forward Adrian Sudbury’s campaign for better education for young people about donation.
In September Ed Balls and Alan Johnson wrote to every secondary school, Sixth Form and Further Education College in England to emphasise the importance of educating young people about the importance of donation. The letter coincided with the re-launch of ‘Give and Let Live’, an education pack and website produced by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
In May this year Adrian Sudbury, a young journalist with terminal leukemia, met with Gordon Brown, Ed Balls and Alan Johnson to present a petition with over 13,000 signatures of support for his campaign. Adrian lost his battle with leukemia in August.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, says:
“Although much has been achieved in raising awareness of the need for donation through Give and Let Live, and through Adrian’s campaign, we can do even more.
“Donation can mean the difference between life and death for those in need and if we can get this message across to young people we can save thousands of lives in the future – something that Adrian fought for tirelessly throughout his illness.
“The Anthony Nolan Trust does excellent work in this area and I am delighted that we are able to support them and Adrian’s parents Keith and Kay Sudbury, by providing funding for the pilot, which will enable us to take forward Adrian’s vision by finding new ways to reach and engage with young people.”
Health Secretary Alan Johnson said:
"Adrian’s inspirational campaign has done wonders for raising awareness of donation and I know there’s been great enthusiasm for ‘Give & Let Live’ in schools and colleges across the country. We want to keep this momentum going.
“As Adrian stressed again and again throughout his campaign, better education about organ, blood and bone marrow donation will lead to more young people choosing to join the donor register. This invaluable study will help us understand how best to communicate the sometimes very complex issues around donation specifically to young people."
Chief Executive of The Anthony Nolan Trust, Tony Morland, says:
“The Anthony Nolan Trust is delighted that the Secretaries of State for the Departments of Schools, Children & Families and Health have provided funding to launch a pilot schools programme. This marks a significant milestone for the Charity and will help us raise vital awareness amongst young people about the importance of donating bone marrow.
“We are delighted to be working in partnership with the NHSBT on this initiative. We owe this achievement to the incredible determination of Adrian Sudbury who selflessly campaigned for better education on bone marrow donation. Adrian’s dying wish was to educate young people about donation and now his dream has become a reality, thanks to the Government.”
Adrian Sudbury’s parents, Kay and Keith Sudbury, said:
The beauty of Adrian's campaign was its simplicity. If you educate 17 and 18 year old young adults about blood, bone marrow and organ donation more of them will choose to be donors.
“We are delighted and hugely encouraged that government funding has been made available for a pilot project to look at ways in which schools and colleges can be helped to deliver such an important message and we are profoundly grateful to all the people who have worked so hard to turn Adrian's dying wish into a positive reality.
“If Adrian's vision can be realised, more lives will be saved. It is as simple as that.”
Watch Gordon Brown's personal tribute to Adrian Sudbury 
Watch here to see a BBC interview with Prime Minister Gordon Brown paying tribute to the achievements of campaigner Adrian Sudbury:
http://www.examiner.co.uk/videos-pics/videos/2008/10/16/gordon-brown-s-tribute-to-adrian-86081-22053725/
[13th October, 2008]
Hundreds pay tribute to inspirational campaigner, Adrian Sudbury
Click here to watch memorial:
http://www.examiner.co.uk/videos-pics/videos/2008/10/16/adrian-sudbury-memorial-service-86081-22053609/
The Prime Minister, Five News Natasha Kaplinsky and Hollywood star, Sean Bean were amongst the hundreds of people who paid tribute to campaigner Adrian Sudbury at a special memorial service in Sheffield Cathedral.
The Prime Minister referred to Mr Sudbury as a "great man" and said: "What he had achieved in a short life is so much greater than that which many achieve in a longer time."
Caroline Berger from The Anthony Nolan Trust added;
‘Adrian was an inspirational and unique young man. His magnificent crusade which led him to Downing Street has left a lasting legacy on the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust.
Thanks to Adrian’s selfless plight, every secondary school in the UK has an opportunity to educate their students about becoming a bone marrow donor.'
| [4th October, 2008]
Huddersfield Town Players raise funds in honour of Adrian  Funds raised by Huddersfield Town players in memory of Adrian Sudbury were presented at half-time at Saturday’s game against Leicester City.
In a mark of respect usually reserved for royalty or former club members, Town players wore black armbands in memory of Examiner journalist Adrian when they played Sheffield United on August 27 at home. In his memory, 50p from every programme sold at the game was donated to The Anthony Nolan Trust. A total of £806 was raised and this was presented to representatives from the charity at half-time on Saturday.
|
[1st October, 2008]
Giving schools the message 
Schools and colleges all over England received a letter from Schools Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson, urging teachers to use the newly revised ‘Give & Let Live’ educational resource.
Adrian Sudbury spent the final weeks of his life campaigning for better education on bone marrow donation. Thanks to Adrian’s efforts, the ‘Give & Let Live’ educational packs produced by NHS Blood and Transplant have now been extended for the 17 – 18 year old age group.
Ed Balls, Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, said: “Adrian highlighted the need to educate young people about the importance of blood, organ, tissue and bone marrow donation. By writing to every school in the country we hope to encourage teachers to make use of Give and Let Live and discuss and debate the issue with pupils”
