Aston Villa and Birmingham City supporters were being urged to put their rivalry to one side and unite in support of Cure Leukaemia’s ‘Just One More’ campaign at the eagerly-awaited Second City derby. Villa’s official charity, Villa in the Community, kindly agreed to back the Birmingham-based blood cancer charity’s attempts to raise at least £40,000 – the amount required to fund specialist research nurse for a year – during September, which is Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
‘Just One More’ is Cure Leukaemia’s biggest-ever community fundraising campaign and sets out to prove that small donations can make a big impact.
Both in the build-up to and during the Capital One Cup third-round tie at Villa Park, supporters of both teams were asked to spare Just One More pound to help Cure Leukaemia save lives.
Servants of both clubs have experienced the devastating effects of blood cancer. Former Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago and is now in remission. However, former Birmingham defender Gary Ablett wasn’t so fortunate and passed away in 2012.
You can get behind Just One More by texting VITC15 £1 to 70070 or by donating at http://bit.ly/1Y3yCiB.
Villa in the Community’s support follows hot on the heels of another of the Second City’s sporting institutions and Cure Leukaemia’s charity partner, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, handing over a £25,000 cheque by donating ‘Just One More’ pound from every ticket sold at the opening day of the recent Investec Ashes Test Match at Edgbaston.
James McLaughlin, Chief Executive of Cure Leukaemia, said: “As a Birmingham-based charity, we are honoured that Aston Villa, through their charity Villa in the Community, are supporting our ‘Just One More’ campaign during Blood Cancer Awareness Month at what will be a massive occasion for the Second City.
As the great Bill Shankly once said, football can feel more serious than a matter of life and death and there was an awful lot riding on the game for both sets of players and fans. But it really is a matter of life and death for the Villa and Birmingham fans currently fighting for their lives at the Centre for Clinical Haematology, which is on the doorstep of both Villa Park and St Andrew’s.
Although they want their respective teams to win, they’re united in battling blood cancer on a daily basis and we hope all fans of both clubs can join forces and continue helping us find a cure for this terrible, indiscriminate disease.
The Centre has been acknowledged by Prime Minister David Cameron as an international centre of excellence in the fight against blood cancer and all funds that are raised through ‘Just One More’ will go directly to the man who saved Stiliyan Petrov’s life, Professor Charlie Craddock.
When Stiliyan was diagnosed with leukaemia, the entire football family got behind the 'Support Stan' campaign and he is now in remission. Unfortunately, former Birmingham defender Gary Ablett wasn’t so lucky.
Ravinder Masih, Head of Villa in the Community, said: “We are proud to support Cure Leukaemia during Blood Cancer Awareness Month. The charity has helped put Birmingham on the map by raising funds for some truly ground-breaking work. Supporting the campaign is certainly one way of uniting everyone in the community no matter what their allegiances.”
‘Just One More’ is all about having fun while raising funds to enable more blood cancer patients across the Midlands, who have exhausted all options on the NHS, access to potentially lifesaving treatments.
Cure Leukaemia is urging all sections of society – from businesses to schools, gyms to nurseries, community groups to the wider public – to devise creative fundraising ideas throughout September that will generate donations of Just One More pound.
From simply wearing something red for a day and bake sales to gruelling sporting challenges and fun social nights, everyone can get involved. And there will be prizes for the wackiest fundraising ideas!
