Leading leukaemia charity, The Anthony Nolan Trust has joined forces with the leading Caribbean travel operator Newmont Travel and The Hackney Empire on Sunday 14th September to stage a special lifesaving bone marrow registration session at the infamous Hackney Empire in a bid to help save lives.

The Hackney Empire is opening its doors to encourage members of the public from the Black and Minority Ethnic Community to come forward and join the register to help patients like local Hackney resident, 13 year old Carina Cash- Abbey. Carena recently celebrated her 13th birthday and is still seeking a life saving bone marrow donor. This registration session will offer hope to people like her, who are relying on the kindness of a stranger for a gift of life.

Less than 25,000 people out of the 390,000 people on The Anthony Nolan register are from the black and mixed parentage community, making it increasingly difficult to locate donors for BME patients suffering with Leukaemia and other bone marrow related illnesses.

'The best chance of finding a match for someone like Carena is from a donor from the same ethnic background, but minority ethnic groups are not well represented on the register and why we wanted to put on a session like this to encourage people in the local community to come out and support this campaign' says Frank Sweeney, Head of Programming at The Hackney Empire’.

Cyril Rhoden, Business Development Manager at Newmont Travel added 'Here at Newmont Travel we realize the importance in helping The Anthony Nolan Trust save lives, and are happy to be a part of this registration day. We also understand the important role we can play in encouraging people in the ethnic community to register and perhaps help save a life'

The registration session will take place in the hospitality suite in the theatre on Sunday 14th September from 12pm until 5pm: 291 Mare Street, London E8 1EJ

Signing up to the register is the first step to potentially saving someone's life. A blood sample is all that is needed to join the register and then only if found to match a patient will you be called upon to donate.

If you are: Between 18 – 40 years old, In general good health and weigh over 8 stone, you could be a potential life saver.

'I just want to be able to do normal things that my friends do without the threat of being sick again. Please think of the difference you could make to some one like me and join the bone marrow register' says Carena.

All eligible members of the community are welcome to come along on the day however there is a pressing need for more ethnic minorities. Every year 7,000 adults and children in the UK are diagnosed with leukaemia or other blood related illnesses. For many of these patients a blood stem cell transplant represents the only possible long-term cure. Without an unrelated donor they may die and many more people are urgently needed. You could give Carena or someone else hope!

Give a gift of life - JOIN THE ANTHONY NOLAN REGISTER!!