More than £38,000 has been handed over to blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia following a two-year fundraising drive led by past Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce president Nasir Awan.
Nasir chose Birmingham-headquartered Cure Leukaemia as the President’s Charity for his two-year term, which ran from 2023-25.
A total of £38,800 was raised through several initiatives including silent auctions at the Chamber’s 2024 and 2025 awards dinners.
Nasir was also instrumental in supporting a 1,000-mile Birmingham to Majorca bike ride in 2024 – a challenge undertaken by South & City College Birmingham principal Mike Hopkins.
Mike and four team-mates began the nine-day challenge from the GBCC’s 54 Hagley Road headquarters, with Nasir joining them for the first section in Birmingham.
James McLaughlin said: “A big thanks to Nasir and everybody at the Chamber for a fantastic partnership over the past couple of years supporting Cure Leukaemia.
“This money goes towards the funding of a research nurse at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
“I’m delighted that we’ll soon be announcing some word-first trials that will be taking place here in Birmingham, at the Centre for Haematology at the QE.”
Nasir Awan said: “I chose Cure Leukaemia as my charity because it’s an organisation that started in Birmingham and is now helping people all over the world.
“I’m incredibly proud to support Cure Leukaemia and to have helped raise this amount of money over the past two years.”