26/01/2024 - Luton Swab Week

Luton Swab Week, supported by Luton Council, will encourage students to step up and save lives by joining the squad of potential stem cell donors at pop up events at Barnfield College, Luton Sixth Form College and The University of Bedfordshire.

A squad of student ambassadors, trained by representatives from stem cell transplant charity Anthony Nolan, will be on site across the week. They will educate their peers about stem cells, their role in transplant, and the significance of stem cell donation.

Usunobun Oriwoh, an MSc student at the University of Bedfordshire, volunteered to be a student ambassador. She says: ‘I am volunteering because I wish to join my hands with Anthony Nolan and be a part of a good cause of saving lives and giving people second chances; I believe everyone deserves a second chance. The chances of getting a matching donor is higher for all ethnicities if we can get more people from diverse backgrounds willing to sign up. This will help to shorten the waiting time for patients who need stem cell transplant from minority ethnic backgrounds.’

Luton Swab Week comes as Anthony Nolan continues its work to inspire 16–24-year-olds to join the stem cell register, a vital resource in helping to save the lives of people living with blood cancer or blood disorders. This young demographic is so important to the charity’s work as they are most likely to be chosen to donate to a patient in need of a lifesaving stem cell transplant. It’s also simple to do – joining the stem cell register takes less time than the shortest 10-minute break between lessons or lectures.

Luton is a focus for Anthony Nolan because of its diverse population. People from Black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are more likely to have a rare tissue type than someone from a white, northern European background. So, patients with these ethnicities are less likely to find a perfect matching donor on the stem cell register.

The Luton Swab Week campaign aims to address this inequity by delivering over 1,000 talks to students across the week. By educating them about stem cell donation, event organisers hope that a significant proportion of them will be inspired to sign up.

Alice Hirst, Recruitment Senior Manager at Anthony Nolan said: "In less time than it takes to walk across campus, students could sign up to the stem cell register. With our campus events we want to show young people how 10 minutes of their day could lead to life-saving results.

"The more potential lifesavers we can add to the stem cell register – from as many different backgrounds as possible – the better chance everyone has of finding a lifesaving match."

Councillor Khtija Malik, executive portfolio holder for public health at Luton Council said: “Luton Swab Week was a massive success in 2023 and saw 389 new stem cell donors added to the register, with 83% of these from diverse ethnic backgrounds. We are excited to be supporting this fantastic initiative once again as we move towards our goal of eradicating health inequalities as part of our 2040 vision to be a healthy, fair and sustainable town.”

Cath Gunn, Principal at Barnfield College said: ‘As a proud participant in Luton Swab Week, Barnfield College is honoured to support this crucial initiative. I’m proud to see students stepping up as ambassadors to make a difference on campus and in the lives of those in need. 

Anthony Nolan's work is vital, and by enabling eligible students to join the stem cell register, we have the power to collectively save lives. We believe in the strength of our community and are delighted to welcome Anthony Nolan to Barnfield College to support their important work.’

Altaf Hussain, Principal and CEO at Luton Sixth Form College said: ‘Luton Sixth Form are delighted to once again be leading on Luton Swab Week, alongside other key partners from across town. As one of the UKs largest educational establishments and home to over 3,000 young people from in and around Luton it was essential that we were involved to educate students about swab week and how it could potentially save a life. Luton’s strength is in our community, and we are proud to step forward for this important cause.’

Ruki Heritage, Director of Student Experience at the University of Bedfordshire, said: ‘The University of Bedfordshire is honoured to support this initiative and encourage our students to join the stem cell donor register and potentially save a life. Luton Swab Week is crucial in raising awareness of those living with blood cancers or blood disorders and we are committed to doing everything we can as a University to support this initiative. It’s so quick and easy to sign up to the donor register and we are looking forward to hosting pop-up events on campus throughout the week so our students can find out more.’

Founded in 1974 by Shirley Nolan, Anthony Nolan was the world’s first stem cell register. Over the last 50 years the Anthony Nolan register has matched potential stem cell donors to blood cancer and blood disorder patients in need of stem cell transplants. To date the charity has facilitated 25,000 transplants worldwide.

Luton Swab Week pop ups are for students at Barnfield College, Luton Sixth Form College and The University of Bedfordshire. People aged 16-30, who are in good general health can find out more about stem cell donation and sign up to the Anthony Nolan register.