Rare car for sale on Ebay.Proceeds of sale going to Leukaemia Research (LLR)

Just a quick heads up folks that there is currently a car for sale on Ebay which may interest you.It was a project car for The Mechanics Magazine for several years, and has rather a few "extra's" that you would not get on the standard model.

The car is a 1992 Ford Granada Scorpio 2.0Ltr.

If you fancy a flutter on the auction you will need to be quick as it ends in 2 days or so.Currently the price is sitting just above £500, so still a bargain to be had, and one with some interesting history :-)

Click HERE to see the Ebay listing.

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Leukaemia Research has changed it's name...and logo :-)

As of this week it was confirmaed that the LRF has now changed its name to " Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research" and has decided to have a new logo also.

To see more info about the details of the name change,click HERE to go to the LLR site.

I for one like the new emblem :-)

Cord blood stem cell transplant hopes boosted.

A technique which may eventually remove the need for matched bone marrow transplants has been used in humans for the first time.

It is hoped that "master cells" taken from umbilical cords could be used on any patient without rejection. The latest advance, published in the journal Nature Medicine, greatly multiplies the tiny number of cells from the cord ready for a transplant. UK charity Leukaemia Research said this could be the "holy grail" for doctors.

To read the complete story click HERE to visit the BBC Health Webpages.
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Genetic Factors Can Increase Leukaemia Risk Seven-Fold

Scientists have found four new regions of the genome that increase the risk of a common blood cancer, according to results published today in the journal Nature Genetics.

Professor Houlston’s team last year proved that people’s genes could make them more susceptible to CLL, identifying six regions of the genome more common among sufferers. In the latest paper, also funded by the charity Leukaemia Research, his team have identified another four regions that influence an individual’s risk of CLL.

For  more about this story click HERE to go to the Health Canal website.

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Leukaemia vaccine to be tested on patients for the first time.

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A vaccine treatment for people with leukaemia is to be tested on human patients for the first time soon.


Scientists have developed a drug which is designed to prevent the cancer reoccurring following chemotherapy or a bone marrow transplant.The treatment, which works by boosting the patient's own immune system, will be trialled in the next few months at King's College London.Researchers hope it could eventually be used to treat other types of cancer.
The first tests will be carried out on patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), the most common form of leukaemia in adults.
The vaccine is designed to identify and then attack any cancer cells which remain in the body once a patient has been treated, preventing a potential relapse.

Professor Farzin Farzaneh, professor of molecular medicine at King's College London, said: "This vaccine activates the body's own immune system against leukaemia to prevent it from reoccurring."The treatment effectively tricks the immune system into thinking the leukaemia cells are foreign cells even though they are the patient's own. The patient's immune system then destroys these cells."

It has taken 20 years to develop the treatment, funded by the Department of Health, the Leukaemia Research Fund (LRF) and the Elimination of Leukaemia Fund (ELF).

The vaccine is created by taking cells from the patient and genetically modifying them in a laboratory so they can track down and act on leukaemia cells. They are then reinserted in the patient.

(Copyright,the press association 2010)

New year,now it's time to find some sponsors for THE 2010 project !

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Ok, it's a few days into 2010, the booze is almost gone and "Normal" life is starting to kick in again. Now it is time for me to start the familiar task of seeking out potential sponsors for the project for this year, the transformation (again!) of Scarlett into a mobile PR platform for the Leukaemia Research Foundation when it celerates it's half century annivesary this year.

The gang at the West Nottinghamshire College (which has over 25,000 students!) are currently  working away at several designs for the car/trailer combo, and in a few weeks (Feb/March) we will be having a look to see what they have come up with and picking a winning design which will then be produced in vinyl and applied to the car and trailer hopefully by the end of March.

Of course this will be the third set of "clothes" that Scarlett has worn, the first was for the "Roc Around the Clock" challenge in 2007 and the second was for the "Scirocco 2 Morocco" adventure in 2008.In 2009 she kept her S2M livery whilst I concenrated on my project for 2009 which was to establish 2 Anthony Nolan Recruitment clinics in Nottinghamshire.2010 then is going to be the year that Scarlett gets to wear a new set of clobber !.

I am now beggining the process of contacting various companies who I feel may be able to assist in Scalett's transformation,although I know from previous experience that this is a job that can cause a lot of stress,dissapointment and frustration, although on the other hand it can be a most fulfilling experience when you manage to get good positive feedback from companies and the occasional offer of help.....this is the part that makes it all worthwhile !.

So....If you are a company who gets an email or letter from me over the next few weeks/months, and you have taken the time to have a look at this blog page,may i just say thanks for taking the time to have a look, and please,please consider giving us a hand for 2010 and being involved in this project, a project to celerate the work of the LRF over the last 50 years, but also to celebrate the vision of the Eastwood family who, in 1960a fter suffering the loss of their daughter Susan, decided to establish this charity in her honour,and provide others who suffer from blood cancer a beacon of hope and support in times of fear and uncertainty.

Give a little help to us here with this project and believe me, you will get an awful lot of satisfaction out of it :-)

Beefy Botham is off on new walk in aid of leukaemia research's 50th Anniversary

England cricket great Sir Ian Botham unveiled plans for his latest charity walk on Tuesday, saying he would not stop until childhood leukaemia had ceased totally to be a fatal condition.

Former all-rounder Botham's 13th charity walk will start in April next year and take him on a 10-town tour of England.

'Beefy's Great Forget Me Not Walk' will also mark the 25th anniversary of his first trek in aid of leukaemia research, and 2010 will also be the 50th year since the LRF was formed in 1960.
"My walk in 2010 will be extra special for me," Botham said on Tuesday.
"I never forget why I put myself through the pain and blisters. I won't stop until we beat childhood leukaemia. We're up to about 90 percent survival now and that's remarkable."

Click HERE to read the full story on the AFP Website..
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Forget Me Not Trot idea!......Anyone got a horse we can loan !

Hi people. Well it appears that the fundraising bug has now taken a hold of another member of the Ward Household, this time though the idea came from my daughter Lauren who is what you would class as "Horse Crazy"!.

She is planning something for 2010 (the 50th anniversary of the LRF), but because it is Lauren it does not involve Scirocco's (damn!), instead she wants to organise a meeting of people at a venue (yet to be decided) and for the participants to then take part in a "Forget Me Not Trot"!.

I think the title is fantastic, but as I have already warned her, these things take a lot of planning and organisation, something that, if it goes ahead, she will quickly learn :-).

So, if anyone has any suggestions as to what sort of format this should take, the area/site of the event, and how the sponsorship should be raised....please let us know!.

Oh, as she is currently "horseless", she could do with the loan of one if anyone happens to have a spare knocking....or should that be "trotting" around :-)

Take care.Andy

Well done Jamie.Fantastic effort mate !

Northwich schoolboy climbs Snowdon months after Leukaemia treatment ends

A 10-year-old from Kingsmead who completed his treatment for Leukaemia in September has climbed Snowdon to raise money for research into the disease.

Jamie Pritchard, of Coronet Avenue, took on the challenge on Friday with his dad Ian, grandad Les aged 71 and little sister Emma, seven.

The family were joined by 20 other friends and family who also wanted raise money for Leukaemia Research.

Jamie was diagnosed with Leukaemia at the age of six in April, 2005, and underwent years of gruelling treatment. On completing his treatment in September 2008 Jamie decided he wanted to begin fundraising

He hopes to raise £3,500 in all – £1 for every foot of Snowdon’s height.

Les said: “In brilliant sunshine everyone reached the summit and had glorious panoramic views at the top. Jamie’s friends formed a guard of honour as Jamie reached the top.”

Jamie told the Chronicle that while he enjoyed the trip, he knows all too well the importance of what he is doing.

He said: “Some of the children don’t make it, and do not get through it like me. I just want to help stop this and raise money for the research.”

Jamie’s mum, Jo, said it was deeply distressing when Jamie was diagnosed.

She said: “We were just in a state of shock when he was diagnosed, we were terrified.

“We spent an awful lot of time at hospital. We knew children who had the disease who did not make it through the treatment.

“We also saw other parents who were going through the same thing. It was horrendous.”

You can still sponsor Jamie by going to www.justgiving.com/jamieswalkers2009 or email him on jamieswalkers@hotmail.com.

All money raised will go to Leukaemia Research.