Edinburgh man launches kickstarter to raise £60k for Myeloma UK by his 60th birthday in April 2022.

An Edinburgh man is aiming to raise £60,000 for a cancer charity before he turns 60 next year.

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

Tom Bruce was diagnosed with Myeloma (blood cancer) in 2017 and has been battling his condition by undergoing chemotherapy as well as various operations and has been helped by Myeloma UK ever since then. His campaign 60:4:60 got a kickstart with a £1000 donation from Shawfair housing developers.

He launched his campaign with an outside event and his supporters have already created tee-shirts and posters with QR codes to offer instant donation opportunities as well as communicating his fundraising message. He has received incredible support from many local businesses. Although on average 16 people are diagnosed with myeloma every single day, Myeloma UK relies on donations for its patient care and research activities. As his big birthday is in April next year, he is in a race against time now restrictions have been lifted to organise various events including quiz nights, auctions, and sponsored activities, to reach his ambitious target.

Tom Bruce launching the 60460 campaign.

READ MORE: West Lothian dad with blood cancer says stem cell treatment during lockdown saved his life

Tom has been delighted with Shawfair’s contribution, saying: “This generous donation is most welcome, and I hope it will inspire other local businesses to help me reach my target. So many people have blood cancer and the support offered by Myeloma UK is invaluable.

"I want to try and give something back after all the help they have given me. After my successful partnership with Shawfair LLP and Marstons Old Colliery at a sponsored Christmas tree light switch-on, which is now an annual event, I decided I must use this special birthday year, to do something bigger and better for the charity. I really want to raise awareness of myeloma and hope to do this by involving more people to participate in my events and activities.”

READ MORE: Midlothian 'green' energy project will massively reduce carbon footprint

Nick Waugh, commercial property director at Shawfair LLP, added: “We are really happy to support Tom’s charity efforts. He received a diagnosis out of the blue and Myeloma UK was there to help to make sure he didn’t face myeloma on his own and he was given information, help and support. We wish him every success and hope he reaches his ambitious target and provides valuable funds to a charity that helps so many people across Scotland and the UK.”

You can support Tom’s 60:4:60 campaign by donating online at www.justgiving.com/oak-tom

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.