Wolves fundraising honoured with leukaemia charity award
Wolves have been honoured by a cancer charity for their fundraising efforts since Carl Ikeme's diagnosis with leukaemia.
Cure Leukaemia handed the club a Chairman's Award for its work supporting the charity throughout the year.
It comes after goalkeeper Ikeme was diagnosed with acute leukaemia in July.
Numerous fundraising drives have been organised in the five months since – including a 24-hour penalty shoot-out set up by Wolves fan and author Steve Plant which raised £13,000.
Mr Plant collected the Chairman's Award on behalf of the club.
Meanwhile a bucket collection before the club’s first game of the season against Middlesbrough at Molineux earned just short of £8,000.
Other fundraisers have included fans walking from Cannock to Molineux before the Middlesbrough match and 1,000 donations for a special commemorative shirt with cash also raised through proceeds from the printing of goalkeeper shirts with ‘Ikeme 1’ on the back.
Former Walsall and Halesowen Town striker Troy Deeney, who now plays for Watford, has previously been hailed alongside Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant for their ‘generous personal donations’.
Wolves were honoured at Cure Leukaemia's CL Champions Awards in Birmingham on Friday.
A club statement said: "All at the club are proud to receive this award and many thanks to Steve Plant for representing us at the ceremony.
"Steve and so many fans have done a great job raising so much money which will make huge difference to Cure Leukaemia."
After collecting the club's award, Steve Plant said: "Proud to pick up the @CureLeukaemia Champions award 2017 on behalf of the best football club and supporters in the world @Wolves @LaurieDalrymple @Carl_Ikeme"
Wolves managing director Laurie Dalrymple replied: "Thanks Steve, on behalf of everyone at the club.
"Our achievements so far have been in no small part down to your hard work and efforts to raise awareness."
The event celebrated the achievements of the charity’s legion of fundraisers and volunteers this year. There was also an award for BBC broadcaster Pat Murphy.
Pat and the ‘Andy Payne Fund A Nurse’ committee raised over £40,000 in memory of their friend Andy who died of leukaemia in 2016.
After the Wolves Cure Leukaemia fund smashed through the £100,000 barrier back in October, the charity's chief executive James McLaughlin said people’s ‘generosity has been truly humbling’ and hailed Wolves and its fans for how they have rallied together.
In a thank you note, addressed to ‘The Wolves family’, he said: “On behalf of everyone associated with blood cancer charity Cure Leukaemia I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to the entire Wolverhampton Wanderers family for the funds you have raised in support of Carl Ikeme.
"To date, you have raised a staggering £106,000 for the charity. Your generosity has been truly humbling.
“This amazing fundraising figure will continue to rise with further events being organised and I can assure you that every single penny will going towards a project that will save thousands of lives and hasten global progress towards eradicating all forms of blood cancer within 25 years.
“On behalf of all the patients who will benefit from what you have all done for Cure Leukaemia, thank you and I wish you every success for the rest of the season.”
