Blood Cancer UK

What Blood Cancer UK does

Blood Cancer UK is a registered UK charity (England/Wales charity 216032; Scotland SC037529; company limited by guarantee no. 738089) founded in 1960 and headquartered in London, with a correspondence office in Edinburgh. The charity pursues a three-part mandate: funding blood cancer research (over £500 million invested since inception), providing direct patient and family support services, and producing certified health information across the 100+ types of blood cancer including leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, MDS, and MPN. Its primary beneficiaries are the 40,000+ people diagnosed annually in the UK and the 310,000+ living with blood cancer, alongside the healthcare professionals and researchers it funds and supports.

The operating model is donation-funded and non-commercial. Core service delivery is digital (bloodcancer.org.uk information hub, online community forum, clinical trials support service, PIF TICK-certified information booklets) with a free phone/email helpline staffed by specialist nurses. Research infrastructure comprises the Trials Acceleration Programme (launched 2011, delivering early-phase clinical trials ~18 months faster than the national average), the Clinical Improvement Programme grants, the Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund, and co-funded data assets — most notably the UNCOVER programme (NHS data on 300,000+ blood cancer patients led by University of Liverpool) and the Haematological Malignancy Research Network with Cancer Research UK and University of York. Revenue is generated through individual donations and regular giving (including Gift Aid), the Beat Blood Cancer Lottery (£1 entry, weekly draws up to £10,000), charity running places (e.g., London Landmarks Half Marathon with £350 minimum sponsorship), corporate partnerships, legacies and bequests, and merchandise sold via wholly-owned subsidiary Bloodwise Trading Limited. Awareness and donor acquisition rely on integrated digital channels, earned media (notably the BBC EastEnders AML storyline partnership), and event-driven community fundraising.

Name

Blood Cancer UK

Legal name

Blood Cancer UK Research

Website

https://bloodcancer.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Blood Cancer UK is a UK charity founded in 1960 that funds blood cancer research (over £500 million to date), provides patient and family support via helpline, online forum and clinical trials support, and produces certified health information for people affected by leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma and related conditions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Health Charity and Blood Cancer Research Funding

NAICS

Voluntary Health Organizations (813212)

akta.pro primary industry

Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Health & Medical Research Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAL)

Keywords

• Blood cancer research
• Cancer patient support
• Clinical trial funding
• Health information booklets
• Charity fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations, regular giving, one-off gifts, and fundraising from community events. Includes Gift Aid scheme allowing reclaim of 25% tax on eligible donations.
2. Lottery: Beat Blood Cancer Lottery - weekly lottery with £10,000 top prize. £1 entry per unique 6-digit number.
3. Retail/E-commerce: Online shop selling merchandise, information booklets, and branded products. Subsidiary Bloodwise Trading Limited handles retail operations.
4. Events: Entry fees for running events (e.g., £20 London Landmarks Half Marathon). Minimum sponsorship requirements for charity places.
5. Corporate Partnerships: Corporate sponsors and partners supporting events and campaigns.
6. Legacies and Bequests: Gifts in wills as part of philanthropy program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Blood Cancer UK is a UK charity that funds blood cancer research (over £500 million invested since 1960), delivers free patient and family support services (specialist nurse helpline, online community forum, clinical trials support service), produces PIF TICK certified health information booklets across 100+ blood cancer types, and provides grant and network programmes for healthcare professionals. It also generates funds through donations, the Beat Blood Cancer Lottery, charity running and challenge events, Walk of Light, merchandise retail via subsidiary Bloodwise Trading Limited, corporate partnerships, and legacies.

Product overview

Blood Cancer UK offers a portfolio of support services, information resources, and fundraising products rather than a unified software platform. The core services include a free helpline with specialist nurses, an online community forum for adults (18+) to share experiences, and certified patient information booklets covering all blood cancer types. The organization operates the Beat Blood Cancer Lottery as a fundraising product and organizes charity events including running events (London Landmarks Half Marathon, Royal Parks Half Marathon) and the Walk of Light challenge. For healthcare professionals, the organization provides networks (Healthcare Professional Network, Nurses Network), a Healthcare Professional Advisory Panel, and grant programmes including the Clinical Improvement Programme and Trials Acceleration Programme. A significant initiative is the Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund supporting dedicated myeloma research.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Bloodwise Trading Limited: The trading subsidiary that operates the e-commerce shop selling merchandise, books, and blood cancer awareness products. All profits are gifted to Blood Cancer UK Research.

Products and services

• Blood Cancer UK Support Services (Helpline) Free specialist-nurse-staffed helpline (0808 2080 888) plus email support providing confidential information, practical guidance, and emotional support to people affected by blood cancer.
• Online Community Forum Online peer-support forum at forum.bloodcancer.org.uk where adults (18+) affected by blood cancer can connect, share experiences, and discuss diagnosis, treatment and living with blood cancer.
• Patient Information Booklets Information booklets reviewed by clinical experts and certified under the PIF TICK quality mark, covering 100+ blood cancer types including leukaemia, lymphoma, myeloma, MDS, and MPN, available via the Blood Cancer UK shop.
• Clinical Trials Support Service Service that helps people with blood cancer find and understand suitable clinical trials, providing information about trial options and supporting informed participation decisions.
• Healthcare Professional Network Network for healthcare professionals (including a specialist nurses network) providing updates on blood cancer news, research, and opportunities to improve services for the blood cancer community.
• Healthcare Professional Advisory Panel Steering panel of UK specialists from haemato-oncology and related professional fields that drives forward projects and ambitions of Blood Cancer UK.
• Beat Blood Cancer Lottery Weekly lottery at lottery.bloodcancer.org.uk where each £1 entry gives a unique 6-digit number, with cash prizes of up to £10,000 and partial prizes for matching three or more numbers; proceeds fund blood cancer research.
• Charity Running Events (London Landmarks and Royal Parks Half Marathons) Charity places at organised running events including the London Landmarks Half Marathon (April 2027 edition) and Royal Parks Half Marathon (2026), with fundraising support and training tips for participants.
• Walk of Light Signature charity challenge event where participants walk to shine a light on blood cancer, with regional editions such as Walk of Light Birmingham (March 2027).
• Clinical Improvement Programme (Grants) Grant programme for healthcare professionals delivering projects that can transform blood cancer care, with current focus on improving access to and awareness of blood cancer clinical trials.
• Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) Programme launched in 2011 that funds and sets up early-phase blood cancer clinical trials within the NHS, on average 18 months faster than the national average, with more than 1,000 people treated using 150+ new drugs through the programme.
• Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund Dedicated research fund supporting four research projects aimed at unravelling the causes of multiple myeloma, totalling over £1.2 million in its first year and continuing to fund myeloma work at the University of Birmingham.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 9 in 10 children diagnosed with leukaemia now survive 5+ years (vs 1 in 10 in 1960)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• University of LiverpoolcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2026Research team led by University of Liverpool awarded £475,000+ to continue and expand UNCOVER study - one of the largest blood cancer data research programmes in the world, analysing NHS data from 300,000+ patients.
• The Clatterbridge Cancer CentrecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 June 2026Awarded £475,000+ grant to continue UNCOVER programme for 3 additional years. Research jointly shaped by clinicians, patients, and early career researchers across UK.
• BBC EastEndersmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 7 May 2026Blood Cancer UK provided clinical and lived experience expertise to support major BBC storyline where character Denise Fox is diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Collaboration aims to raise blood cancer awareness.
• Lymphoma & Leukaemia Northern Ireland (LLNI)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Joint partnership with Blood Cancer UK and Northern Ireland Cancer Registry to conduct comprehensive epidemiological report and clinical audit of lymphoma care in Northern Ireland. First audit since 2008, aiming to identify care variations and improve patient outcomes across the region.
• Northern Ireland Cancer Registry (NICR) at Queen's University BelfastcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 May 2026Provides population-level cancer registry data for blood cancer audit programme. Led by Director Dr Damien Bennett, with analysts Dr Stephen Quinn and Sinéad Hawkins analysing patient data for quality indicators.
• Haematological Malignancy Research Network (HMRN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHMRN is core-funded by Blood Cancer UK and Cancer Research UK. Records detailed patient information throughout journey from diagnosis through treatment to long-term survival. Gold standard data source for UK blood cancer statistics.
• University of YorkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEpidemiology and Cancer Statistics Group (ECSG) at University of York conducts HMRN research. Funded researchers who found myeloma survival nearly doubled since 2005.
• University of BirminghamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReceived £1.3M funding for new myeloma research projects including £310k for Dr Tracey Chan's new blood test development and £320k for Dr Aidan Haslam's MGUS research. Part of Matthew Wilson Multiple Myeloma Fund.
• Cancer Research UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-funders of HMRN research network. Partnership on survival data analysis (e.g., myeloma survival study). Collaboration on cancer death rates reporting.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUNCOVER programme analyses routinely collected NHS data from 300,000+ blood cancer patients diagnosed in England since 2014, creating national picture of real-world care and outcomes.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Macmillan Cancer Support: A major UK cancer charity providing patient support, information, and financial guidance across all cancer types. Comparable as a UK-based cancer support and information provider competing for similar donor and supporter segments, particularly families affected by cancer.
• Cancer Research UK: The UK's largest cancer charity, funding research across all cancer types including blood cancers. Directly comparable as a UK cancer research and support charity, but operates at far broader scale and funds HMRN jointly with Blood Cancer UK, making it both a partner and the most consequential competitor for donor pounds.
• British Red Cross: A large UK humanitarian charity with diversified fundraising, retail, lottery, and event operations. Comparable as a UK nonprofit peer on fundraising mechanics (lottery, donations, retail, events) and operational scale rather than therapeutic focus.

Direct peers

• Anthony Nolan: A UK charity focused on blood cancer and stem cell/bone marrow transplantation, operating a donor registry and funding related research. The closest direct peer in scope, geography, and mission, both funding blood cancer research and operating patient-facing support services.
• Prostate Cancer UK: The UK's leading prostate cancer charity, funding research and supporting patients. Comparable as a UK single-disease cancer nonprofit competing for similar donor, volunteer, and major-gift segments and operating on a similar multi-channel fundraising model.
• Bowel Cancer UK: A UK charity focused on bowel cancer, funding research and providing patient information and support. Comparable as a UK-based, single-disease cancer charity combining research funding, patient information, and awareness campaigning for a similar sized supporter base.
• Myeloma UK: A UK charity dedicated specifically to myeloma, funding research and providing patient support and information. Directly comparable as a single-disease UK blood cancer charity operating the same combination of research funding, helpline, and information services.
• The Leukaemia & Lymphoma Society: The largest US-based voluntary health organization dedicated to blood cancer research, patient support, and advocacy. Directly comparable in mission and operating model (research funding, patient services, advocacy) though regional to the US rather than the UK.
• Lymphoma Research Foundation: A US-based nonprofit that funds lymphoma-specific research and provides education and support to patients. Comparable as a disease-specific blood cancer research and patient-support charity with a similar fundraising and grantmaking model.

Regional players

• World Cancer Research Fund: A cancer research and prevention charity with a strong UK presence and global policy remit. Comparable as a UK-headquartered cancer research grantmaking charity competing for similar research-funder and donor mindshare, though its prevention-focused mission differs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/beatbloodcancers
• Facebookfacebook.com/bloodcanceruk.charity
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bloodcanceruk
• Instagraminstagram.com/bloodcancer_uk
• TikToktiktok.com/@bloodcanceruk
• Xx.com/bloodcancer_uk

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Blood Cancer UK