Exeter Leukaemia Fund

ELF was chosen as the charity for the Great West Run in 1980. The 21st running of this event took place on 1st May 1980 and it proved to be a real cracker. The 1980 event followed a 13.1 mile course, over two laps through the city centre with the start and finish at Exeter Arena. It was also host to The British Masters Half Marathon Championships,... where we saw top veteran athletes in the country competing on the roads of Exeter. It was decided that through this event ELF would work towards the purchase of a FACS (fluorescence activated cell sorter) machine, costing in the region of £25,000. With the support of the many people who continued to participate in the Great West Run for ELF last year we are pleased to announce that a FACS machine is now purchased and in place at the RD&E. The FACS machine will be used to look at specific cell cultures to identify different variants of leukaemia, which will enable more specific treatment to be given to patients together with expanded research capabilities. Steve Walton, Haematology Lab Manager, said "Thanks to ELF donating a flowcytometer the department has developed an improved diagnostic service for leukaemia and lymphoma and at the same time commenced a new line of research in to how these conditions spread in the body." Leukaemia continues to grow in the South West. ELF supports the work of the Haematology Department at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital and exists to ensure that the best treatment is available to leukaemia patients contributing almost £4 million to patient care, equipment and research since 1987 when the Charity registered with the Charities Commission. October 2007 will see the launch of 20 Years of ELF, a celebratory campaign designed to highlight the achievements over the last 20 years and what has still to be done into the future. The Haematology Centre, for which ELF provided two thirds of the funding (£1.5 million), was officially opened by HRH, The Princess Royal in September 2003. It is recognised as "state of the art" and one of the best ...Read More