West Midlands law firm Sydney Mitchell last week proudly presented a cheque to their nominated charity The Maria Watt Birmingham Foundation for Childhood and Teenage Leukaemia. Kamal Majevadia, partner at Sydney Mitchell presented the cheque to Diane Watt, the founder of the charity.
The cheque was for £2,000 and was raised by the firm in 2007, following a number of charity events that staff members took part in, including the Knowle Fun Run and The Warwickshire Triathlon.
The Maria Watt Foundation was set up by Diane Watt following the loss of her daughter Maria to Leukaemia in 2005. The main focus of the charity is to increase awareness of the affects that this devastating illness can have on so many children, teenagers and young adults' lives and to offer support and advice to those who may be suffering from it.
Working in association with the Teenage Cancer Trust, the MWB is raising money to help with the development of the new Teenage Cancer Unit at Birmingham Children's Hospital. This will be a specialist unit where teenagers can receive treatment in an environment more suited to their needs, and alongside other teenagers who are experiencing the same type of illness. At present, most teenagers diagnosed with Leukaemia or other forms of Cancer will be admitted to and treated in hospital wards with babies and adults. The new unit will provide specialist nurses who are on hand to support them and help in dealing with both the physical and psychological aspects of the illness. Planning for this unit has been granted and work is due to start imminently.
As well as the specialist Teenage Cancer Unit, the charity makes regular contributions to various projects including research into the causes of Leukaemia and other Cancers and research into the development of a possible vaccine against Leukaemia.
On receiving the cheque Diane said "we are very grateful for the support which has been given to the charity by the partners and staff at Sydney Mitchell during the past year. Today, six teenagers will hear the words "you have cancer". Six more will hear those words tomorrow and so it will continue. Leukaemia is the second biggest killer of children and teenagers in the UK and the incidence of it is increasing. As a small, local charity, we can play our small part and contribute in the fight against it. However, this is only made possible by the fabulous support that we receive from the individuals and companies who donate to the charity and fundraise on our behalf, and the commitment of our Charity Partners."
Sydney Mitchell has pledged to continue to support the MWB for 2008, with plans to organise and enter into various charity events throughout the year. The firm is hoping to beat the £2,000 raised in 2007 and have already entered a team of 30 runners into this years Knowle Fun Run which is taking place in May.
For more information on The Maria Watt Birmingham foundation please visit
www.mwb-leukaemia.org.uk
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