Rugby hero to launch easyJet’s life saving campaign

England World Cup winner and Lions Rugby star, Will Greenwood MBE, has launched easyJet's in-flight collection campaign for leukaemia charity, The Anthony Nolan Trust. Throughout the summer, easyJet cabin crew will be asking passengers to donate any loose change to support the charity.

This will be the third year that easy Jet passengers will be asked to donate their loose change and the continuation this year will help save hundreds of lives throughout Europe. easyJet has already raised an incredible £1.3 million in total for The Anthony Nolan Trust after carrying out on board collections during the summers of 2006 and 2007.This funding has enabled the charity to recruit approximately 18,000 new lifesaving donors to the bone marrow register.

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 600 men, women and children who might have otherwise died. However, currently 16,000 patients worldwide are searching for a suitable donor and to give these patients a chance of life the charity urgently needs to fund the recruitment of thousands of new donors.

Three year old Aila Ahmed is one such patient desperately looking for a donor. Aila was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia late last year. Her parents have been told that a bone marrow transplant is her only chance for long term survival, but because Aila is of mixed race, finding a donor whose tissue type matches Aila’s is proving difficult. As her mother, Shazia said:

“My whole life changed in a matter of seconds – I cannot tell you how painful it is. When your child says: “Mama, will you be with me forever?” What can you say? This can happen to anyone regardless of race, class, education. None of the searches have found a match for Aila so far. We are absolutely desperate.”

Rugby hero Will Greenwood, who was a key member of England’s victorious 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad, commented at the launch: “I’ve long been a supporter of the Anthony Nolan Trust because I know how vital the charity’s work is. Without the work of this organisation many thousands of people around the world simply wouldn’t be here today. I’m very proud to be able to continue to support their work and I’d encourage everyone to do the same - you simply never know when you or a family member might really need them.”

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 starting on July 14th through to September 26th 2008, highlighting the work of The Anthony Nolan Trust to passengers and encouraging them to donate spare change. A proportion of the money raised will be given to other bone marrow registers in Europe.

Andy Harrison, easyJet’s Chief Executive said:

“Once again we are very pleased to be working with such an important life-giving charity. We know that the spare change generously donated by our passengers over the last two years has already helped save lives throughout Europe. This year we’re hoping to raise an even greater sum to provide even more support for the fantastic work of the Anthony Nolan Trust."