Wolves '12 Days' auctions tops £9k mark in aid of blood cancer patients

The organisers held a series of events over the festive period to raise vital funds for the national charity Cure Leukaemia.

The programme included the repeat of the successful “12 Days of Christmas” fundraiser which saw a number of money-can’t-buy items offered to Wolves fans through online auctions and raffles including a signed squad shirt, signed Joao Moutinho boots worn during the recent win over Manchester United, and a signed match-worn shirt from captain Conor Coady.

The figure tops the £5,500 raised the previous year.

The team was inspired to support the charity after the club’s former goalkeeper Carl Ikeme was diagnosed with blood cancer five years ago.

Shortly afterwards fans and staff joined forces to raise more than £150,000 for to boost the charity's efforts to expand the internationally renowned Centre for Clinical Haematology at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Four years later, the Wolves medical department, led by Oliver Leaper, and fans continue to support the body. All proceeds raised from ‘The 12 Days of Christmas’ will go towards funding specialist research nurses under the the Trials Acceleration Programme.

This network which is co-ordinated in Birmingham, connects blood cancer patients from a catchment area of over 20 million people with potentially lifesaving treatments through pioneering clinical trials.

Mr Leaper said: "We are delighted to have raised such a fantastic amount from these raffles and auctions.

"We are so grateful to the players and staff that donated the items and of course the fans for taking part to raise such a fantastic amount."

James McLaughlin, chief executive of Cure Leukaemia, said: “Our sincere thanks once again go out to the Sports Medicine Team at Wolves who have once raised the bar with their auctions and raised a significant amount of money for Cure Leukaemia.

"We are so grateful to the players and staff that donated the items and of course the fans for taking part to raise funds.

"Wolves has been closely linked to us since Carl’s diagnosis and we are proud to keep that association going knowing that the funds go directly to helping save the lives of blood cancer patients.”