Blood cancer patients across Blackpool and Cumbria are set to benefit from ongoing fundraising between Blackpool Teaching Hospitals and Booths Supermarkets with the family-owned grocers recently celebrating topping the £250,000 fundraising mark for blood cancer charity, Cure Leukaemia – £100,000 of which has funded the appointment of a clinical trial nurse at Blackpool Victoria Hospital.

Booths smashed their initial fundraising target of £50,000 for two years last April, with a range of of in-store promotions and colleague-led initiatives to benefit blood cancer patients across Lancashire and Cumbria. The incredible fundraising total has allowed the hospital to appoint Denise Bennett as the newest member of their already impressive Research team and expand their work in clinical trials.

Research Nurses help connect patients to potentially lifesaving medicine and their role in administering these trials is vital to developing effective new treatments for blood cancers.  As a result, patients have access to new treatments, allowing them access to lifesaving new therapies.

Speaking about the fundraising total for the hospital, Dr Paul Cahalin, Consultant Haematologist, Blackpool Teaching Hospitals commented: “Research Nurses like Denise can often be pulled in many different directions, but thanks to our ongoing relationship with Booths and Cure Leukaemia, it means that we can utilise her services exclusively for leukaemia patients and that is a real benefit for blood cancer patients in the Lancashire and South Cumbria region.”

“Where you have a local population being supported by a local business, it’s really important for the customers of Booths to hear about the impact of their generosity. We have loved working in collaboration with Booths and Cure Leukaemia for the benefit of acute leukaemia patients.”

Nigel Murray, Managing Director, Booths explained: “It has been great to hear the remarkable progress being made at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals in the six months since Denise has been appointed. We are working with the hospital to create a better service for our community here in Lancashire and South Cumbria, and the fact that we are able to support Denise in her position, means that blood cancer patients have her dedicated service on this vital subject.”

“Our customers are always really happy to support all sorts of good causes and charities, however big or small and our colleagues have got stuck-in whether it be selling cakes or riding bikes.”

James McLaughlin, Chief Executive at Cure Leukaemia added, “It is always inspiring to meet with Paul and Denise, and to hear the impact that her role is having within the Haematology department and wider across the trials team is fantastic.”

“We would like to say a huge thanks to all employees, customer and suppliers at Booths. What this money has done is very clear and transparent, and to hear from Denise about the impact that she is having and the benefit to blood cancer patients of having her in her role, and that is the model that we want to demonstrate to further partners. £100,000 can help fund a Research Nurse for two years and allows them to plan ahead, and we are delighted that Booths would like to continue that pledge.”