We help patients, who develop leukaemia & similar disorders, and who are treated in Plymouth, by providing equipment and facilities to enable them to have the best possible care and support.
Registered Charity 290480
News
11th February 2021
Seven year old Ollie is cycling 250 miles over 12 weeks in support of his Grandad, who is currently receiving treatment for blood cancer on Bracken and Birch wards in Derriford Hospital. So far he has raised an amazing £730 and he is still going strong. His donation site is Plymouth and district leukaemia fund bike ride on uk.virginmoneygiving.com
9th February 2021
The Trustees met by Zoom on January 26th 2021. We agreed in principle to fund a part-time post for a clinical psychologist to support Teenagers and Young Adults (TYA), most of whom have blood cancers. We also approved the Financial Statement for 2020, which shows a marked drop in income, due to Covid-19. The accounts have now been sent to the Independent Examiner.
We usually hold our AGM in April, and because of the pandemic, we are going to hold the meeting virtually by Zoom on 21st April, 2021. At this meeting, we are appointing Trustees, so if you are interested in becoming a Trustee, please contact me. We are also seeking a treasurer and someone to look after social media. After the AGM there will be a couple of talks including one on the TYA service.
I have attached the paperwork associated with the AGM below – just click on the image and it will open to a new page. The Zoom link will be sent out shortly before the meeting to those who have expressed an interest in attending.
Thank you for your support of PDLF.
Adrian Copplestone, Chair of Trustees
Fundraising and Membership
It is easy to become a member of PDLF.
Simply email the Membership Secretary Joanna Farrugia with details of your name, address and email address. It is also helpful to give us some information on your interest in the Fund.
Membership fees are £5 annually, Families £7.50 annually.
Newsletters are sent out periodically and can be found on our News page.
The Annual General Meeting is held in April, and is a chance to meet other members.
Barn Dance raised £1,164 and was great fun
Research
Research is important because it stimulates people to think about new approaches and keep up to date. Haematology has been a rapidly developing field over the last 50 years, with many of the successes in understanding and treating cancer coming from research on blood diseases.
Plymouth has always been actively involved in Clinical Trials in both national treatment schedules and the use of new drugs. Professor Simon Rule heads up the Research Office, which is currently running 30 clinical trials.
PDLF has been pleased to fund research over the years
- Mapping of leukaemia and lymphoma against local water distribution
- Growth of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia (CLL) cells
- Immunity to CLL
PDLF has also funded 4 PhDs and has just approved another; the supervisor is Dr Claire Hutchinson.
PDLF has also set up the Molecular Biology Laboratory and all the facilities for separating, culturing, freezing and storing Stem Cells for clinical use. In recent years, this has been outsourced to a commercial provider.
Our Trustees
Adrian Copplestone
Chairman & Secretary
Joanna Farrugia
Membership Secretary
Chris Allen
Patient
Tim Nokes
Consultant
Dawn James
Patient
Jill Kuhr
Patient
Lesley Teasdale
Research Trials Office
We currently have two vacancies and we are looking for a Treasurer
