- Dec 1, 2017
- 4 min read

Formby man was the runner up and commended for Individual Fundraiser of the Year 2017 at the Anthony

Formby man Kevin Dunne and his brother Tony, founders of the Anthony Nolans Stemcell Scousers group, who have fundraised over £21,000 were the runners up and commended for the Individual Fundraiser of the Year 2017 at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards. This year’s event, sponsored by Colleen Fletcher MP, took place on November 28 at the Houses of Parliament. Awards were presented to deserving fundraisers, families of patients, donors, clinical supporters and journalists, all of whom have supported Anthony Nolan in a number of ways.

Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan said: “We were incredibly proud to celebrate Kevin’s achievements at this years Anthony Nolan Supporters Awards. He has raised a vital £21,000, recruited the lifesavers of the future and shared his family's story to generate awareness. Volunteering countless hours to Anthony Nolan to make it all happen, Kevin’s dedication has been integral to getting our message out to the public. He is a deserving finalist and I'd like to say another Huge Congratulations."

Kevin Dunne, 70, joined other dedicated supporters of Antony Nolan, the blood cancer charity, to be celebrated at the awards. The Antony Nolan Supporter Awards are held annually, and give the charity the opportunity to recognise those who go above and beyond in supporting Anthony Nolan.

Kevin was nominated for the Individual Fundraiser of the Year award after he fundraised over £21,000 for Anthony Nolan. Kevin was the finalist and received a commendation. The Winner was Poonam Shah. Individual Fundraiser of the Year, after taking on 40 challenges, raising over £40,000 in memory of her husband, Rakesh, who would’ve been 40 this year.

Kevin (Left) pictured with his brother Tony at the awards

Kevin began fundraising for the charity for two years, after his wife, Mary, was diagnosed with leukaemia and had a stem cell transplant from an anonymous unrelated donor. His brother, Tony, was diagnosed nine months later and Kevin successfully donated his stem cells.

Speaking of that time, Kevin said: "The hospital rang me up and asked if I’d get tested, but advised that there was only a one in four chance of a sibling being a match. I went forward, and I was the only one that matched."

After that life changing experience, Kevin has set himself the task of raising £100,000 for the charity. To do this, Kevin works tirelessly in his local community, holding collections in local supermarkets and the town centre, with a group of 11 volunteers.

Kevin Dunne (L) with a member of Waitrose staff, and Tony Dunne (R)

Kevin said: "Both Anthony Nolan as a charity and raising awareness of stem cell transplants is the main focus of everything we do. My wife wouldn’t be alive today without Anthony Nolan. When we first started a lot of people didn’t know about the charity but now when people see us fundraising they say ‘oh yeah, Anthony Nolan’ instead of ‘who is Anthony Nolan?’

Anthony Nolan uses its register to match potential stem cell donors to blood cancer patients in desperate need of a stem cell transplant. It also carries out vital research to make stem cell transplants more successful, and supports patients through their transplant journey.

In addition to raising money, Kevin has also engages within the community. He recently started a Twitter account called 'Stemcellscousers' and in the past year he has gained over 1,500 followers from all over the world.

He uses the platform to retweet StemCell donor appeals for patients from around the globe.

Henny Braund, chief executive at Anthony Nolan, says: “Kevin has worked incredibly hard to raise both money and awareness for Anthony Nolan. He has successfully reached a large portion of his local community to spread the word about our work.

“While many people support Anthony Nolan, enabling us to carry out our life-saving work, Kevin really has gone above and beyond in helping to raise money for our cause.”

Kevin will be celebrated for his hard work and determination at the House of Commons on November 28, and winners will be announced at the event.

The Stemcellscousers will be in Waitrose Formby on Saturday 2nd December fundraising for Anthony Nolan so please support them as much as possible. The brothers held their first fundraising event in ICELAND Formby on 28th July 2015 That same evening Tony was rushed to A&E after becoming unwell. After various tests including a blood test Tony was told he needed an immediate blood TRANSFUSION and was being transferred to the Leukaemia ward. Over the next few weeks and TWO bone marrow biopsies Tony was diagnosed with SEVERE APLASTIC AMEMIA a very rare blood disorder and needed a Stem CellTransplant. Kevin stepped up straight away along with his 3 other brothers and they were tested to see if any of them was a match for Tony the chance of a SIBLING being a match is only 25%. Only Kevin was a match and incredibly he was a 100% match and despite being the oldest brother of the five ,genetically he and Tony are IDENTICAL like Twins. Tony had the Transplant in October 2015 and is recovering really well. If anyone would like to support the LIFESAVING work carried out by Anthony Nolan who match incredible individuals with patients whose only chance of SURVIVING is a Stem Cell Transplant, please TEXT ANKD99£5 to 70070 and if you can please GIFT AID Every year around 2,000 people in the UK need a Stem Cell Transplant SADLY only half are lucky to find one, so please sign up to the ANTHONY NOLAN register if you Are aged 16 - 30 or 17 - 55 to DKMS Uk