easyJet launches on-board collections for charity

Saracens and England Rugby hero, Richard Hill, today launched easyJet's in-flight collection campaign for The Anthony Nolan Trust. Throughout the summer, easyJet cabin crew will ask passengers to donate any loose change to support the charity.

Last year’s collections for the airline’s charity partner raised over £500,000. easyJet collections will allow passengers from flights across Europe to donate money. Their small change will make a life saving difference. The partnership with easyJet will enable The Anthony Nolan Trust to recruit thousands of urgently needed individuals to bone marrow registers across Europe. Any of these individuals could go on to save the life of an adult or child who might otherwise die.

This is the second year of charity partnership with The Anthony Nolan Trust. Building on the ground-breaking partnership that they formed in 2006, which has been a staggering success, the continuation this year will help save hundreds of lives throughout Europe.

The Anthony Nolan Trust saves lives by providing bone marrow donors to adults and children in need of transplants. Last year, The Anthony Nolan Trust saved the lives of over 500 men, women and children who might have otherwise died.

Funds raised by easyJet during 2006 paid for the direct costs of recruiting over 8,500 new donors onto the register . Any one of these donors could save the life of a patient for whom a bone marrow transplant is their only chance of survival.

One such patient was four year old Georgia Cocking who in 2006 was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. Her parents were told her only chance of long-term survival was a bone marrow transplant. Georgia’s family was tested and didn’t match Georgia’s tissue type. Therefore Georgia then relied on The Anthony Nolan trust to find the person to save her life.

Georgia was lucky, The Anthony Nolan Trust found a donor to match her tissue type and on the 5th April 2007 and was in isolation for up to four weeks and stayed a further six weeks after she developed an infection. The doctors gave her the go ahead to leave hospital in June and all the family were excited about it. Mum Debbie said, "We were just over the moon. I can't really believe it. I'm still in shock."

Rugby hero Richard Hill commented at the launch: “The Anthony Nolan Trust is a charity that is close to my heart. I chose to support the Charity financially with proceeds from my year of fundraising in 2006. This Charity gives the chance of life to hundreds of patients. The hope of life they give to adults and children not only affects the patients themselves but also has a dramatic impact on the lives of their family and friends.”

As an independent charity The Anthony Nolan Trust continues to rely on the financial support of companies like easyJet to continue their lifesaving work.

easyJet on board collections will take place on all flights during August and September, highlighting the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust does to passengers and encouraging them to donate spare change. A proportion of the money raised will be shared by The Anthony Nolan Trust with its sister registers in the European countries that easyJet flies to.

“We are delighted to be working with such an inspirational charity. The money that easyJet employees and customers raised during 2006 for Anthony Nolan has already helped to save lives throughout Europe. We hope to raise an even greater sum this year so that their fantastic work can help save even more lives ”; commented Andrew Harrison, easyJet Chief Executive.