CAMPAIGNING Examiner journalist Adrian Sudbury’s vision of talks about bone marrow donation being delivered in schools and colleges has taken a major step forward.

Volunteers attended a training day on Saturday to learn how to deliver talks on blood, bone marrow and organ donation to sixth form students.

The training day was the first in a pilot project – Register and Be A Lifesaver – which is the result of 27-year-old Adrian’s campaign.

Adrian, who died of leukaemia last August, started the campaign last May after being told he had just weeks to live.

He wanted to raise awareness about donation and wanted the facts to be part of standard education in sixth forms and colleges where students are at the age to become donors.

Hundreds of people who followed Adrian’s campaign and online diary, Baldy’s Blog, registered to be trained as volunteer speakers to give the talks.

Register and Be A Lifesaver will see around 80 of them trained to give talks in two pilot areas – Bristol and South Yorkshire.

If the pilot is a success, the scheme could be rolled out nationwide.

Register and Be A Lifesaver is being run by the Anthony Nolan Trust and NHS Blood and Transplant.

The pilot is being funded with £40,000 of Government money plus £40,000 from auditing firm Baker Tilly, who loaned their Birmingham office for Saturday’s training session. Adrian’s parents, Keith and Kay Sudbury, were at the landmark training day and will be at two further dates in Sheffield on March 14 and London on March 28.

Keith said: “We are really pleased with the way it has gone and the commitment and calibre of people who have taken part.”

In a speech to the 20 volunteers, he said: “Kay and I are incredibly proud and grateful that you have come today.

“We are eternally grateful for that extra year we had with Adrian and to the 30-year-old woman from Germany who donated her bone marrow.

“Adrian bought into all the myths. Once he knew the real story he wanted other people to know too.

“Adrian would be so proud that you are here to do what you are going to do. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, through one of your presentations, you could encourage someone to sign on to the register and that person could be a match for someone and save a life?

“Adrian had a very clear wish and we collectively can make it happen. Thank you for making Adrian’s dream a reality.”

Some of the 20 volunteers had attended after being inspired by Adrian, while others had benefited from transplants themselves or had relatives who received or needed one.

During the training, they were told the myths and facts of bone marrow, blood and organ donation by pilot project manager Carole McAlpine and Andrew Calvert from NHS Blood and Transplant. They also got advice on how to present to students.

Carole said: “This is a landmark day and very exciting. We have asked so much and everyone has given 100%.

“I only met Adrian once and what an inspiration he was. It is just so great that we have been able to get ourselves to the stage where there are people who want to do this.

“We have got a green light from Government to go ahead and we are going to steamroller forward.”

She explained that the pilot will involve volunteers giving a 40 minute talk on blood, bone marrow and organ donation.

At the start and the end, students will fill in a benchmark form, which measures their understanding about the three forms of donation.

Their responses will be used as part of the evaluation to show whether the pilot has been successful. This will be done by a Government-appointed independent team.

The pilot will be judged to be a success if:

60% of schools approached opt to take part.

90% of volunteers who trained feel confident to deliver talks.

50% of schools ask for more information.

Awareness of donation among young people increases by 80% as a result of talks.

New donors are recruited.

The pilot is set to end in the summer and a report produced by July. Then a decision will be made on whether to extend it.

Carole said: “We are hopeful we will secure funding to move this out.”

The Anthony Nolan Trust is contacting all sixth form facilities in Bristol and South Yorkshire directly to ask them to host talks. Volunteers trained at sessions in Birmingham, Sheffield and London will then be dispatched to give presentations in the next few months.

To find out more, visit www.anthonynolan.org.uk, www.blood.co.uk or www.uktransplant.org.uk