Aston Villa and Birmingham City supporters are being urged to put their rivalry to one side and unite in support of Cure Leukaemia’s Just One More campaign at Tuesday’s eagerly-awaited Second City derby.
Aston Villa’s official charity, Villa in the Community, have kindly agreed to back the Birmingham-based blood cancer charity’s attempts to raise at least £40,000 – the amount required to fund Just One More specialist research nurse for a year – during September, which is Blood Cancer Awareness Month.
Just One More is Cure Leukaemia’s biggest-ever community fundraising campaign and sets out to prove that small donations can make a big impact.
Both in the build-up to and during the Capital One Cup third-round tie at Villa Park (kick-off 7.45pm), which is being screened live by Sky Sports, supporters of both teams are being asked to spare Just One More pound to help Cure Leukaemia save lives.
Servants of both clubs have experienced the devastating effects of blood cancer. Former Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov was diagnosed with leukaemia three years ago and is now in remission. However, former Birmingham defender Gary Ablett wasn’t so fortunate and passed away in 2012.
Fans can get behind Just One More by texting VITC15 £1 to 70070 or by donating at
http://bit.ly/1Y3yCiB*
Villa in the Community’s support follows hot on the heels of another of the Second City’s sporting institutions and Cure Leukaemia’s charity partner, Warwickshire County Cricket Club, handing over a £25,000 cheque by donating Just One More pound from every ticket sold at the opening day of the recent Investec Ashes Test Match at Edgbaston.
For further information, please email laura@cureleukaemia.co.uk or call 0121 236 9202.
Cure Leukaemia funds a network of specialist research nurses to administer clinical trials of potentially lifesaving drugs to leukaemia patients. The nurses support the work of Cure Leukaemia co-founder, Professor Craddock, at the world-class Centre for Clinical Haematology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. Professor Craddock believes a cure for all blood cancers can be found in the next 30 years.
* 75 per cent of all donations made to Villa In The Community during September will go to Cure Leukaemia’s Just One More campaign.
