16.04.2014
London Container Terminal Supports Transatlantic Charity Rowing Challenge
(A Port of Tilbury News Release)
The ocean rowing boat, The Alexandra, which took part in the unsupported Atlantic crossing challenge to raise thousands of pounds for leukaemia and type 1 diabetes charities, has returned to the UK in a specialist container with all the handling costs being donated by the team at London Container Terminal.
The gruelling 3-month long rowing challenge started in the Canaries in December with the final destination a mere 3,000 miles across the challenging Atlantic Ocean in Barbados.
LCT were approached earlier this year when the 7-metre long rowing boat was due to be returned to the UK following completion of the challenge and were only too pleased to be part of this impressive personal challenge for the two young Londoners – Harry Martin-Dreyer and Alex Bland – who completed the challenge in 3 months and have raised over £155,000 for Birmingham based blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia and JDRF.
Commenting on the in-kind donation, Angela Black, Head of Commercial at LCT said: “We were delighted to play our part in this incredible challenge. The two boys, Harry and Alex, have successfully rowed 3000 miles across the Atlantic and the least we could do was help them to get the boat back to the UK safely inside a container arriving in our port at Tilbury last week.”
Harry Martin-Dreyer who took part in the rowing challenge said: “The team at Tilbury were incredibly helpful. They were enthusiastic and practical with a slightly unusual job! Thank you to all of them and to the port itself for the donation of time that allows us to give more money to charity.”
For more information about the challenge go to: www.rowing4research.com
15 April 2014
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Further info: Debbie Johnston, Spreng & Co, 0141 548 5191 / [email protected]
About Cure Leukaemia
Founded in 2003 by Professor Charlie Craddock, Cure Leukaemia helps to bring pioneering drug and transplant treatments to blood cancer patients throughout the Midlands. The charity helps finance the world class Centre for Clinical Haematology at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, to fund life-saving clinical trials to treat terminally ill leukaemia patients. To date, Cure Leukaemia has helped to treat over 4000 patients by leveraging over £23m worth of revolutionary drugs and funding crucial research nurses to administer these trials.
Without the expert research nurses to ensure patients are constantly monitored and cared for; these trials would not run. The aim of Cure Leukaemia is to raise money to fund more research nurses at centres across the Midlands and provide world-class treatment for its patients. Only by funding more nurses in more hospitals, can more leukaemia patients benefit from access to potentially life-saving treatment.
Currently, Cure Leukaemia has nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley, Stoke, Worcester, Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham Children’s Hospital. Cure Leukaemia celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2013 by launching the Cure Leukaemia for Kids appeal, raised in excess of £125,000 from runners in BUPA Great Birmingham Run and established new corporate partnerships with Deloitte, The Binding Site, OGL Computer, Stirling UK and Hotel Indigo Group.
