Warwickshire Announce Extended Contract With Cure Leukaemia

Warwickshire CCC and Birmingham-based charity Cure Leukaemia have continued their growing partnership by agreeing on a four-year contract, which will expire in 2016.

The partnership will see the club support the blood cancer charity’s work across a range of events, including the opening day of this summer’s Test Match between England and West Indies at Edgbaston on 7^th June.

Last year’s inaugural ‘Cure Leukaemia Day’ at the England v India Test Match raised £75,000.

Warwickshire’s director of cricket Ashley Giles and coach Dougie Brown are both patrons of Cure Leukaemia.

This summer’s Cure Leukaemia Day will see the cricket club donate £1.50 from every ticket sold for the first day of the Test. It is hoped to raise enough money to fund three new research nurses.

In addition, every junior entrant to the charity’s ‘Run For A Nurse’ 5k Fun Run on 27^th May in Sutton Park, supported by BBC WM’s Red Alert Appeal, will receive a free kids’ ticket for Cure Leukaemia Day at Edgbaston on 7^th June.

Colin Povey, chief executive of Warwickshire CCC, said: ‘We’ve been working with Cure Leukaemia on a number of initiatives since 2005 and have seen it experience phenomenal growth. It’s now one of the best known charities in the Midlands with the potential to extend its lifesaving work further afield.’ 

‘The fact that the charity invests every pound that it raises directly into funding research nurses that administer its lifesaving treatments make it a great local cause that we want to continue supporting.’

‘Raising £75,000 through the Test Match between England and India last summer was a great achievement, and we are delighted to be able to extend our partnership through to at least 2016.’

Cure Leukaemia chairman Ian Allen added: ‘This partnership and the generosity of Warwickshire will make a monumental impact on our work in the future. With the combined support of England and West Indies fans on June 7, we can take a giant stride towards curing leukaemia.’

The pioneering treatments administered by research nurses funded by Cure Leukaemia, which is based at Birmingham’s Queen Elizabeth Hospital, can offer a lifeline for leukaemia patients, who have explored all other options, and ultimately can save lives.