Deeside MP Mark Tami nominated for prestigious national charity award

The MP for Alyn and Deeside is set to be honoured by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, at an awards ceremony held at the Tower of London next month. 

Mark Tami MP has been shortlisted for the Political Supporter of the Year Award at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards 2019. Out of three nominations in the last 4 years, Mark has taken home the award twice. 

The prestigious Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards are back for their seventh year and will recognise the outstanding achievements of the volunteers, fundraisers, and campaigners who help the pioneering blood cancer charity save lives. 

Mark’s nomination is in recognition of his long-time commitment to the charity as Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Stem Cell Transplantation. This year, he was instrumental in securing the addition of stem cell donation to the Government’s Health Education guidelines, which means that from September 2020, every secondary school pupil in England will have the opportunity to learn about stem cell donation. 

His son, Max, had a successful stem cell transplant more than 10 years ago, which has driven the MP to do as much as he can to support the charity that saved Max’s life. 

On his nomination, Mark said: “I am very pleased to have again been nominated for a Supporter Award. I do not do it to get recognition, but it is very humbling to be nominated nonetheless.

“Anthony Nolan are a fantastic charity that do so much for those suffering with blood cancer. The work they do to try and match stem cell or bone marrow donors with patients is inspiring and I couldn’t urge my constituents more to join the register. 

“It’s great to see how the register has grown in recent years, but there’s so much more we can do to try and grow it further. I hope we can make some serious inroads into increasing the number of donors from BAME backgrounds on the register.”

Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “It is remarkable to see how many people support our work to find a match for those in need of a stem cell transplant. Without them, none of our life-saving work would be possible.

“Mark Tami has shown tremendous commitment to Anthony Nolan by continuously going above and beyond in his support for the charity. His role in adding stem cell donation to the Government’s Health Education guidelines is a truly incredible achievement.”

Henny added: “We want to extend a huge congratulations to Mark and look forward to celebrating with him at the awards”. 

The awards take place on Thursday 28 November at the Tower of London, and all winners will be revealed on the night.

Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching stem cell donors for people with blood cancer and blood disorders and gives them a second chance at life. It also carries out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery. 

To see the full shortlist, and find out more about the charity visit www.anthonynolan.org/awards