DKMS partners with On the Beach
Blood cancer charity collaborates with leading travel organization to support stem cell registrations
We’re proud to announce that DKMS UK has been chosen as On the Beach’s first-ever Charity of the Year for 2024/25. This exciting new partnership marks a powerful step in our mission to give patients with blood cancer and blood disorders, a second chance at life.
Honouring a colleague’s legacy
On the Beach, a leading online travel agent, has supported DKMS since 2019 in memory of their late colleague, Andy Clague. Andy, the former Head of Business Intelligence at On the Beach, sadly passed away at just 46 after two years of living with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a form of blood cancer.
This long-standing connection has already seen impactful collaborations, such as stem cell donor registration events to expand the UK’s donor registry. Now, the partnership is being formalized to create even greater opportunities to save lives.
Helping patients find their match
Every year in the UK, over 2,000 people require a stem cell transplant, yet only 7% of eligible people are registered as potential donors. DKMS is the largest stem cell registry in the UK, with over 1 million registered donors, but there's an urgent need for more people.
Through this partnership, On the Beach is helping us raise crucial awareness and funds to cover the cost of donor registrations, ensuring more patients in need of a lifesaving transplant can find their match.
The partnership will kick off with a variety of fundraising events. One of the major highlights will be a sponsored bike ride in Majorca, where a team of On the Beach staff will participate to support DKMS’s mission.
A shared commitment
Peter McCleave, CEO of DKMS UK, stated, “Our partnership with On the Beach began in 2019 with our first event. Now, in 2024, we’re honoured to be their charity of the year and excited for upcoming events. It’s the generosity of people giving to help support the work that we do to try and save lives, and having the backing of a global organisation like On the Beach gives DKMS an incredible opportunity to spread our message”
Jennie Cronin, Chief People Officer at On the Beach, expressed the team's commitment by saying, “We chose DKMS as our charity of the year because it’s personal to us, and we believe in the work that they do. Since our much loved colleague, Andy Clague, sadly passed away with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we’ve been committed to supporting DKMS in raising awareness of their work, and growing the stem cell register to help more people find their match and give them a second chance at life. We have a number of fundraising events planned. It’s great to see so many people in our team getting involved in what’s a really, really important cause for us.”
Together, we can make a difference
We are grateful for On the Beach’s support and look forward to collaborating to expand the stem cell donor registry. If you would like to learn more about DKMS or find out how you can get involved, please reach out to us.
