West Midlands Volunteering Hub celebrates ten years – and raises £45,000

Ten years of the West Midlands Volunteering Hub

Last weekend, the DKMS West Midlands Volunteering Hub organised a special evening that marked their tenth anniversary, and also raised vital funds for DKMS. The event raised more than £45,000, a staggering amount which smashed the record set at their last ball – a phenomenal achievement.

The West Midlands Volunteering Hub was founded in 2015, by Robbie Chahal, Jas Singh, Kam Arora and Harkamal Ubhi. Since then, the hub has organised more than 200 events and registered over 6,400 potential lifesavers to the global stem cell register, increasing the chances for people with blood cancers and disorders to find a match. They have also seen 14 of those that they have personally registered go on to donate their stem cells, giving 14 patients another chance at life.

The event was organised by Manj Kaur and her team, she joined the hub after losing both her mother and husband to cancer.

She says: “This year’s charity ball is not just a celebration of our ten-year milestone, but also a tribute to the patients and families who inspire us every day. We are delighted to have raised over £45,000 so that DKMS can continue its life-saving work. I’ve been personally inspired by the number of people who have come forward to help us save the lives of people with blood cancer and blood disorders. We are so grateful to all the suppliers who donated their services on the night, those who bought tickets and contributed to our raffles & auctions, as well as everyone who spoke and performed. Each new potential stem cell donor costs £40 to register, so together we have raised enough money get around 1,125 people signed up and processed as potential lifesavers. We’re so proud of what we’ve achieved so far.”

Guest of honour

This year’s event honoured ten-year-old Amilah who was diagnosed last November with aplastic anaemia, a rare and life-threatening blood disorder. She and her mother, Mobeen, attended the ball as guests of honour. Sadly, when she was diagnosed no one in Amilah’s family was a match, so a global search began to find a stranger who could help her.

People of UK ethnic minority heritages in particular are severely underrepresented on the stem cell donor register. So far, only 7% of the UK eligible population is on the stem cell register, and only 16% are from UK minority ethnic backgrounds. The West Midlands Hub do important work that particularly engages UK South Asian communities, encouraging them to join the stem cell register.

Amilah’s Pakistani heritage made finding a matching stem cell donor an even greater challenge, but fortunately, Amilah has now found her match. Her doctors are currently ‘watching and waiting’: she does not immediately need a transplant and her family are hoping she goes into remission. Her mum Mobeen says: “Knowing a donor is on standby has brought my family unbelievable relief.”

Remembrance

At the event, attendees also took time to remember Bansri, a much-loved DKMS volunteer who many attendees had met over the years. After she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in 2020, Bansri dedicated her time and efforts to raising awareness of blood cancer. She worked tirelessly to encourage people to sign up to the stem cell register, touching many lives in the process.

Bansri sadly passed away earlier this year, which was a huge loss to her loved ones, and the wider DKMS community. Her husband, Amrit was at the ball, and spoke to attendees about his wife’s story.

Manj says, “Amrit delivered such a heartfelt speech, and there was not dry eye in the room. Bansri’s story has meant so much to all of us, and had a huge impact that night. He spoke beautifully and with so much bravery, having lost his wife just a few months ago. Bansri and Amrit were also our guests of honour.”

Ian Corpuz, Volunteering Manager at DKMS UK, says: “The DKMS West Midlands Volunteering Hub has done incredible, life-changing work and we’re so grateful for the community’s continued support. Events like this 2025 Charity Ball directly fund our mission, giving more people hope, more families time together, and more patients a second chance at life. They organised a wonderful event and raised a truly impressive amount of money, well done Manj and the team”.

If you’d like to donate to DKMS and help fund our lifesaving mission, you can check out our money donation page here.