A Birmingham fundraising group which started with a £130 street collection is celebrating 50 years of supporting people affected by blood cancer – having now raised an extraordinary £578,000.
Blood Cancer UK’s South Birmingham and District Branch marked its golden anniversary with a special visit to Birmingham Council House, where members met the Deputy Lord Mayor of Birmingham.
The branch was helped to be founded in 1976 by John Purser, now 73, and his wife Teresa, after a chance encounter with a promotional caravan in a Birmingham shopping centre introduced them to the charity and its work.
Despite having no personal connection to blood cancer at the time, the couple attended a local meeting – held at the home of then-local councillor Edwina Currie – and decided to get involved. John became the branch’s chairman and Teresa its treasurer.
Their first street collection raised around £130. Five decades later, generations of volunteers and supporters have helped the branch raise £578,000 for Blood Cancer UK.
Over the years, fundraising has ranged from street and store collections, sponsored walks and carnival stalls to seven Christmas concerts at Birmingham Town Hall. The branch was also chosen to benefit from the Lord Mayor of Birmingham’s Parade in 1978 and has been supported by civic fundraising appeals in Birmingham and Walsall.
Other memorable efforts have included a sponsored cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats, raising £5,000, and fundraising linked to performances of Calendar Girls at Birmingham Hippodrome.
John Purser, Chairman of the South Birmingham and District Branch, said: “If that caravan hadn’t been in the shopping centre that day, I might never have helped start the branch. We started in a very small way – our first street collection raised about £130, which was a lot of money in those days.
“Since then we’ve had some wonderful members and supporters. Sadly, some are no longer with us and can’t see what their hard work has achieved, but every collection, sponsored walk, concert and event has contributed to where we are today.
“What makes it all worthwhile is seeing the progress that has been made. When we started, survival from childhood leukaemia was very different to what it is today. Now around nine in ten children diagnosed with leukaemia survive for five years or more. Research has made an enormous difference, and we’re very proud to have played our small part in supporting that.
“We’re getting older and fundraising has changed enormously, particularly since the pandemic, but we still want to do what we can. In our 50th year, we want to celebrate everyone who has helped us along the way – and hopefully encourage some new people to get involved and help take the branch into the future.”
The anniversary comes during Blood Cancer Awareness Month, when Blood Cancer UK’s Here for This campaign is highlighting the moments – big and small – that people living with blood cancer want to be here for, and the urgent need for continued progress in research, treatment and support to make more of those moments possible.
The progress John and Teresa have witnessed over the branch’s 50 years shows what can be achieved. But there is much more to do: blood cancer remains the UK’s third biggest cancer killer, and around 250,000 people are currently living with the disease in the UK.
Blood cancer is a term for cancers that affect the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic system, including leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
Rachel Mann-Bradbury, Regional Relationship Manager at Blood Cancer UK, said: “What John, Teresa and the South Birmingham and District Branch have achieved over the past 50 years is remarkable. To go from a £130 street collection to £578,000 raised is testament to the dedication of generations of volunteers and the generosity of communities across Birmingham and beyond.
“Their anniversary comes during Blood Cancer Awareness Month, when we are reminding people that, despite the enormous progress made over the past five decades, blood cancer is still the UK’s third biggest cancer killer. We need to keep driving forward research, improving treatments and making sure everyone affected by blood cancer gets the support they need.
The branch hopes its 50th anniversary will also inspire a new generation of volunteers to get involved and help continue its work.
