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OUR CHARITY

Help us to achieve our goal of raising £100,000.
When you make a donation to the Atlantic4, 60% is given directly to the Anthony Nolan Trust and 40% is retained to help the crew fund the crossing. Once the essential costs have been covered 100% of donations will be given to the Trust.

BACKGROUND
The Anthony Nolan Trust was founded in 1974 as the first register of volunteers willing to donate bone marrow in circumstances where a match cannot be found within a patient’s family. It now holds one of the largest databases of unrelated donors in the world.

George, who donated bone marrow to an anonymous recipient in 2003, chats with Robert Price, a donor recipient who is now doing well and supporting the Trust at the Dragon Boat Racing at Stratford Upon Avon.

The Trust owes its existence to the determination of Shirley Nolan, who established the Register in an attempt to save the life of her son, Anthony; a little boy born in 1971 suffering a rare bone marrow disease which left his immune system unable to fight infection. Anthony’s single hope of a cure was a bone marrow transplant and, as a child with no compatible match available within his family, his condition was diagnosed as untreatable.

HOW WE AIM TO HELP
We decided to support the Anthony Nolan trust as George's grandfather died of leukaemia. He may have benefited from a bone marrow transplant had one been available. Both George and David have been registered for some time and George donated marrow in 2003.

The Trust requires publicity to attract donors and we hope that through our efforts in raising we can encourage more people to register. In addition any money raised over the amount required to complete the challenge will be donated to the Trust.

VOLUNTEER BONE MARROW DONOR?
Every year thousands of people with diseases such as leukaemia reach a stage where only a bone marrow transplant can save them. Family members, particularly brothers and sisters, can make the best matches. However, this is not always possible and patients must hope that an unrelated volunteer donor will be found.

There are now close to 345,000 people registered (September 2003) but more are needed.

Requirements to join the Register include:

Aged 18 - 40
In general good health
Weight over eight stone / 51kg (although in the case of donors from some ethnic groups this is lowered to 7.5st)
Women must not be pregnant
Women with children under the age of 12 months cannot join or donate marrow during that time
Health and circumstances permitting, you stay on the Register until your 60th birthday. So, don't be put off joining if you are close to 40, particularly if you are male.
All eligible volunteers are urged to come forward, but the Trust has specific clinical needs to recruit more male, ethnic minority and mixed race volunteers.

To find out what’s involved in becoming a donor, contact the Anthony Nolan Trust.