Campaigner's family welcome funding
Updated on 26 November 2008
The family of inspirational campaigner Adrian Sudbury have welcomed the funding of a study to find out the most effective ways of raising awareness of bone marrow donation among young people.
Journalist Mr Sudbury, 27, died from leukaemia in August after a campaign to raise awareness about donation which took him to Downing Street to meet Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Health Secretary Alan Johnson have now announced their departments were giving the Anthony Nolan Trust £40,000 to support a pilot schools programme.
In a statement, Adrian Sudbury's parents, Kay and Keith, 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.
Mr Balls said: "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.
In September Mr Balls and Mr 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 relaunch of Give and Let Live, an education pack and website produced by NHS Blood and Transplant.
Mr Johnson said: "Adrian's inspirational campaign has done wonders for raising awareness of donation and I know there's been great enthusiasm for Give and Let Live in schools and colleges across the country. We want to keep this momentum going.
Chief executive of The Anthony Nolan Trust, Tony Morland, said: "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 owe this to the incredible determination of Adrian Sudbury who campaigned for better education on bone marrow donation."
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."
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