Celebrate a business anniversary with a cash gift to Leukaemia and Myeloma Research UK

CELEBRATING a business birthday is a momentous occasion for any company or organisation – and a great excuse for a staff party.

But two businesses also used their own anniversary landmarks to help others, by making donations to support the vital research Leukaemia & Myeloma Research UK (LMRUK) is funding.

Introducing the businesses who have supported LMRUK

A £3,000 donation was made to LMRUK by a Scottish recruitment company which celebrated its 35th birthday by helping charities here and across the globe. The charity was one of 20 good causes chosen by The Orion Group for a share of £35,000, as a way of marking their 35 years in business.

As a family company, the group has a long-established commitment to corporate social responsibility and has donated more than £600,000 to charity over the past five years. All the charities that benefited from the birthday donations were nominated by Orion’s regional offices, so the company could support good causes and community projects in the regions or countries where they are based. Although based in Inverness, the Orion Group has a network of offices across the country and overseas, including in America, Canada and the Middle East.

LMRUK was chosen as one of the company’s beneficiaries by staff at OCCMS, the specialist completions and commissioning division of the Orion Group after one of their colleagues was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) in the summer of 2022. 

Jamie Japp, Technical Director at OCCMS, said:

“We felt it fitting to make a donation to a charity that was closely aligned with the condition our colleague was suffering from.

“From a shortlist, I opted for LMRUK for that reason and also for its pioneering research into various treatments. It is working so hard to find a cure for this dreadful disease and we wanted to help support that.”

Another business that helped LMRUK during its 75th anniversary was professional machinery and service provider Lister Wilder.

A team of 55 employees from Lister Wilder raised over £22,000 by taking part in the London to Brighton Cycle Ride last year. LMRUK has allocated the money to a grant named The Lister Wilder Research Grant that will fund specialist blood cancer research. 

Group Service Director Neil Davis put LMRUK forward as one of the charities the company would support in 2022 after he was diagnosed with blood cancer.

Neil said:

“I personally take medication for my leukaemia that was only developed 20 years ago, so it proves that we need to be constantly supporting this research to ensure that more effective treatments, or even a possible cure, can be found.” 

LMRUK Operations Director, Dr Joanna Tilley, said that the charity was extremely fortunate to benefit from the generosity of companies and organisations, as well as individuals.

Joanna said:

“We really appreciate the ongoing support of businesses like The Orion Group and Lister Wilder and the donations they have made as part of their anniversary celebrations.

“We thank them both for the donations they have made to our ongoing research work and wish them continued success in their respective fields.”

Is your business or organisation getting ready to celebrate a special anniversary? Why not use it as an opportunity to make a donation to LMRUK or take part in a fundraising event on the charity’s behalf, like the London to Brighton Cycle Ride 2023, which is open for registration now.

Please visit the LMRUK website using the following link to find out more: https://lmruk.org/fundraising-events-and-challenges/.