UNW announces charity partnership with Bright Red

Newcastle-based independent chartered accountancy and business advisory firm UNW has announced Bright Red, a dedicated blood cancer support charity, as its chosen Charity of the Year for 2023/2024.

Based in the Northern Centre for Cancer Care at the Freeman Hospital, Bright Red aims to improve the lives and treatment of people with blood cancer across the north of England. Through care, research and education, they strive to beat illnesses such as leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma myelodysplasia and myeloproliferative diseases.

Previously known as Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant 2000, Bright Red has supported haematology treatment and research within the north of England since 1988. Their investment of over £6 million into haematology has seen diagnosis, treatment and research within the region go from strength to strength. The north of England now has the second largest bone marrow transplant centre within the UK, treating an increasing number of patients from outside the area.

Through its employee-led Charity Committee, UNW regularly raises funds for a wide variety of organisations. The announcement of the new Charity of the Year follows on from a hugely successful partnership with cancer support charity Maggie’s Newcastle, for whom the firm raised over £25,000 across two years.

Anne Hallowell, audit and assurance partner at UNW, said: “We are delighted that our colleagues have chosen to support Bright Red as UNW’s latest charity of the year. We always seek to support a local charity where we can make a difference, and Bright Red has been repeatedly nominated over the last few years, so it was great to see the overwhelming support it received in the staff vote this time around.

“Over the years, our fundraising activities have made a huge difference to a wide range of local charitable organisations, the majority of which have had links to one or more of our team. We are all extremely excited to be working with Bright Red over the next 12 months, with both fundraising and voluntary activities, starting off with the Northumberland Six Peaks Challenge in September.”

Lisa Saxton, charity manager at Bright Red, said: “We are delighted and very grateful to UNW for choosing Bright Red as their chosen charity for the year. It is a real endorsement of the charity and our work, and an exciting opportunity for us. Being selected as the charity of the year will have a significant impact for us as a regional blood cancer charity.

“The partnership gives us the potential to reach a wider audience and raise awareness for what we do – patient care, research, education and staff development. Following the Northumberland Six Peaks, there will be further opportunities to fundraise through a host of other events, including abseiling down a wind turbine and a 24-hour team building challenge, with all proceeds directly benefiting patients diagnosed with a blood cancer and their families across the north of England.”