Nuke the Leuk
Lol Pilfold, chairman of the Lotus 7 Club of Great Britain at the time, decided to adopt the Leukaemia Research Fund as the club charity after club member
Steve
Winterberg contracted leukaemia in 1990. The expression, 'Nuke the Leuk' was coined
during Steve's treatment, by his family. He has seen it, done it, nuked it and got the
T-shirt.
Club fund raising began on an ad-hoc basis by fellow committee members, event organisers and individual club members in 1991.
Slowly, the fund raising became more regular and of increasing frequency as more club members and area organisers took up the cudgel. Finally, Lol Pilfold decided that all efforts and ideas should be co-ordinated by one person who would liase with LRF, report the fund-raising activities to the members through 'Low Flying', the club magazine, and generally assist with club members’ efforts towards fund raising
In August 1993, almost to the date of his original diagnosis, Steve Winterberg, now well into his third year of remission, accepted the post of club fund co-ordinator.
Fund raising history, 1991 to date
| Year | £ | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 200 |
Best estimate, usually handed to the nearest LRF branch. Generally raised by the sale of club donated regalia |
| 1992 | 316 |
Brooklands Roaring 40'S Event |
| 1993 | 5,569 |
Moreton in Marsh International Event |
| 1994 | 6,192 |
Colin Orsbourn’s London marathon run and Moreton in Marsh International Event |
| 1995 | 5,043 |
Brian Poulton’s Land’s End to John O’Groats run in 7s |
| 1996 | 14,579 |
Mal Page’s Scarborough to Morecambe Coast to Coast run, Chris Lee’s Three Peaks Challenge; Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon in 24 hrs, and LRF national raffle |
| 1997 | 9,697 |
John Shaw and Mal Page’s Coast to Coast 1997 run, Brian Poulton’s 2nd LeJog, LRF ‘Forget-me-not’ national raffle |
| 1997-98 | 33,306 |
Lotus 7 Club of Great Britain's 40th Anniversary Seven Raffle - The Car The Club Built Raffle |
| 1998 | 9,087 |
John Shaw and Mal Page’s Coast to Coast ’98 run, the Car the Club Built raffle |
| 1999 | 8,062 |
Club member Mike Crispin nukes the leuk. Arnie Webb’s Le Mans ’99, Alex Wong’s Belgium to Sicily Endurance Run and Angus Denny's Surrey Area NtL '99 programme |
| 2000 | £15,112 |
Anonymous
Surrey member, Will Paul's London Marathon run, Arnie Webb's Le Mans 2000,
Brands Hatch International Event. £100K Target beaten in June. |
| 2001 |
£12,416 |
Club member James Barrett nukes the leuk. Arnie Webb's Le Mans 2001, Barbara Swift's BlatChat Stickers, Jan Smit's Cycle Odyssey, John & Susan Howe's Ram Roast, Richard Ince's Nürburgring CDs and Jeff Deung's Bring-n-buy stand & Scalextric competition |
| Total | £119,579 |
Highlights
In addition to fund raising, many club members offer a seat in their car at sprints and track events, for patients having been or currently being treated for blood related disorders, to assist with their recovery by giving them something different to look forward to, and to offer them an experience they may never have had the opportunity to enjoy but for their illness.
In 1992, the Lotus Seven Club of Great Britain donated two tickets for ex-leukaemics to attend the Le Mans 24hr race in France including ferry fares, accommodation and track entry tickets for the whole two-day event.
The club also provides an ongoing free advert in the monthly magazine Low Flying to encourage members to part with their petrol vouchers, Green Shield stamps, old phone cards etc., for the Leukaemia Research Fund Voucher Appeal, run by Sophie Shalit JP, one of the many volunteer fundraisers for LRF
In 1997 club members attended the 21st birthday celebration of the under 17 car club at Castle Combe race circuit held on behalf or the charity, Cancer and Leukaemia in Children to offer rides round the circuit for donations.
The club also invites LRF branches to events to assist with tombolas and raffles and the sale of programmes. Club members are also encouraged to offer their cars to local LRF Branch events for them to use the vehicle as a focal point to assist with their own fundraising efforts.
In 1998 Ellen Jones won "The Car the Club Built" raffle. Coincidentally, Ellen was at the time the secretary of the Tenby LRF branch. Tenby branch were also the branch that sold most amount of raffle tickets that did not have an opportunity to sell tickets at a Lotus Seven Club event.
1999 saw club member Mike Crispin fighting off a particularly rare and difficult to treat leukaemia, and with the same grit and determination that took him through a kidney transplant a few years earlier, he nuked the leuk with flying colours. Many, many thanks to his brother Richard for providing the bone marrow essential for the cure.
In 2001 club member James Barrett nuked the leuk and Gary Kirage, now 3 years into remission, got the chance to join a huge convoy of 7s in Barry Sweeney's Zetec 7 to 'Rumble' around London.
The Leukaemia Research Fund is known today as one or our most effective medical research charities. The fund maintains a constantly expanding programme of innovative and productive work, centred on the search for a cure for leukaemia and related blood disorders. The story of now the fund reached its current position is a fascinating picture or hope and inspiration, allied to dedication and hard work.
The fund's work over the past thirty years has involved thousands of people; the families who have suffered the tragedy or what used to be virtually a death sentence, the doctors and scientists who have battled against one of the most intractable of diseases, and all those whose efforts have gone towards making the Leukaemia Research Fund the active, internationally recognised force that it is today.
The Leukaemia Research Fund emblem, the forget-me-not, is a memorial to those who have succumbed to the disease and for whom it is wished that more could have been done, and whose memory is the inspiration towards achieving the ultimate goal.
The fund relies wholly on voluntary donations and is proud to have one of the lowest overhead and running costs of all the major charities of only 5p in every £ raised. There are nearly 200 voluntary LRF branches and sub-branches throughout Great Britain
How near we are to the cure, depends on you.