Record breaking SFR Anthony Nolan event

O2 and SFR join forces to help save lives

Following the signing of a partnership agreement in June 2009 with the life-saving leukaemia charity Anthony Nolan, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue recently broke two records in the one day.

On Wednesday 27th July, the SFR Anthony Nolan team visited O2 at Skypark in Glasgow where a huge number of staff had enthusiastically pre-booked appointments to sign up and join the register.

At the start of the partnership, the goal was to add 1250 potential life savers to the Anthony Nolan register over a three year period, however less than two years after the first recruitment event this target was smashed at O2.

The 1250th person to sign up to the Anthony Nolan register was Alasdair MacIntyre, who was presented with £50 of vouchers for the O2 Academy.

Pictured above is 1250^th donor Alasdair MacIntyre with Area Commander Ally Boyle and Regional Fundraising Manager for Anthony Nolan, Lindsay McCallum.

Another new record was also set as the O2 event saw the highest number of donors added to the register at any one Strathclyde Fire & Rescue donor recruitment day. In total, 153 people turned up to join the register with the potential of another 50 staff, who couldn't make it on the day, being added to this over the coming the week. The previous record of 118 was held by Oban Community Fire Station, which over the course of one weekend added a grand total of 233 people to the register.      

Area Commander Ally Boyle said: "The response from O2 has been magnificent from the start and I am delighted that they have reacted in such a positive way to help us achieve our goal of saving lives".

Lindsay McCallum, Regional Fundraising Manager for Anthony Nolan said: "Anthony Nolan is deeply indebted to Strathclyde Fire & Rescue for their ongoing support and active recruitment campaigns across the Strathclyde region. There are 16,000 people worldwide who urgently need a bone marrow transplant and they are all dependant on members of the public stepping forward and joining this register."

For more information visit www.anthonynolan.org

From left to right, Station Commander Andy Watt, O2's Michelle Donkin, Deputy Chief Officer of Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Eileen Baird, O2's Claire Haggerty and Area Commander Ally Boyle

 Photos are courtesy of Ross Wilson Photography