A PILOT project to educate sixth form students about bone marrow donation has been declared a success by evaluators.
The good news comes almost a year to the day that campaigning journalist Adrian Sudbury travelled to 10, Downing Street to hand in a 13,000-signature petition asking for education about bone marrow donation to be given as standard to 17 and 18-year-olds.
Examiner journalist Adrian, 27, had battled leukaemia for two years and spent his final months campaigning to raise awareness about donation. His visit to Downing Street was less than a month before his death on August 20 last year.
His mother Kay Sudbury said: “It’s a fantastic success story. It couldn’t have gone better in a year. The evaluator was tasked with assessing the impact of the education programme.
“In that respect he has been extremely positive and that is crucial, because you can say what we wanted to achieve has been and we have exceeded the criteria that were set.
“It is for recruitment agencies to turn changed minds into people on the register. All we wanted to do was tell young people the facts and let them make their minds up.”
The pilot project – Register And Be A Lifesaver – was the result of Adrian’s Sign Up For Sudders campaign.
The Government gave £40,000 and auditing firm Baker Tilly pledged £40,000 for the pilot.
Between March and July, 65 volunteer speakers were trained to give talks about blood, bone marrow and organ donation to 17 and 18-year-olds in sixth forms and colleges.
The pilot was run by a board, working with the Anthony Nolan Trust and NHS Blood and Transplant and focused on two areas – South Yorkshire and Bristol.
A total of 61 talks were given to around 3,250 students.
The evaluation of the pilot scheme was conducted by independent consultant Keith Egleton.
He said: “The project has been an outstanding success.”
Following Adrian’s death, his parents, Kay and Keith, have worked tirelessly to make the pilot a success and are now looking at the next stage.
Discussions are taking place about the how best to manage the scheme and where it should be rolled out next.
Steps are also being taken to secure further funding from the Government and other sources.
Whatever happens, Mr and Mrs Sudbury and the volunteers – known as Adrian’s Army – have vowed the talks will continue.
Mrs Sudbury said: “We have committed to talks, going into 2010 and we will honour those.
“Keith and I are determined that this is going to move forward and there is nothing we can see that stands in its way. We just need to do the work to make it happen.”
She added: “Colleges and sixth forms have been brilliant in accommodating us at a difficult time in the calendar and we would like to thank them for that and the volunteers for their commitment.”
A PRIZE draw held at the Yorkshire Fashion Week Gala night raised £410 for the Anthony Nolan Trust.
The prize competition was organised by Colne Valley MP Kali Mountford, in memory of former Huddersfield Examiner journalist Adrian Sudbury.
Ms Mountford said: “It was Adrian’s wish to support the Anthony Nolan Trust in schools and colleges to get young people to join the bone marrow register and pushed for the education project being piloted by the trust.”
To date, money donated to the Sign Up For Sudders appeal has been split equally between the Anthony Nolan Trust and Leukaemia Research. However, it has now been decided that funds raised for the appeal should go towards funding the pilot project to ensure that Adrian’s dream continues to become reality. You can donate to the Sign Up For Sudders appeal over the counter at any Barclays branch in the Huddersfield area.
