Clapham account manager wins fundraiser of the year award from top charity

A cancer survivor has won a top charity’s fundraiser of the year award for supporting for its life-saving work for more than 10 years.

Victoria Botting, 27, from Aristotle Road, Clapham, has won The Simon Dyson Award for Volunteer of the Year at the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards 2021.

The account manager first started volunteering for Anthony Nolan in 2012 and has been actively volunteering ever since as it is a charity close to hear heart.

When studying at Cardiff university, she was part of Cardiff Marrow – Anthony Nolan’s student volunteering group, for three years before joining the Marrow Alumni committee, which she currently chairs.

One of her biggest contributions has been leading the team through the turbulence of the last few years and supporting the development of the ‘Work from Home Heroes’ Initiative – a campaign to raise awareness of the Anthony Nolan stem cell register in the workplace.

She is part of the Marrow Alumni group, a group for people who have been part of Anthony Nolan’s student volunteer network.

That meant organising talks for staff at firms like The Bank of England to talk about Anthony Nolan and the charity’s need for more young people to join their stem cell register.

She has also been involved in fundraising for the charity.

Last year Victoria decided to push herself out of her comfort zone and complete 310,000 steps a month in order to help raise funds, raising an incredible £665 in the process.

Victoria said “I am so shocked and really happy. Being nominated was very unexpected as you don’t do it to be recognised. But then to go on and win where the other nominees are also incredible too was a shock – but a happy one! I am flattered that the judges chose me and it was lovely to celebrate with friends and family. It only motivates me even more to continue the volunteering and spreading the word about the amazing charity which is Anthony Nolan.”

This year, Victoria is once again chairing the Alumni committee and hopes to reach more Marrow volunteers @MarrowAlumni from all over the world.

She has created a new NHS liaison role within her group where students can receive advice for NHS careers and give support to medicals workers as well as creating more workshops to help post-graduation.

Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “Congratulations to Victoria for winning The Simon Dyson Award for Volunteer of the Year award. Your commitment and dedication to Anthony Nolan is anything short of inspirational. Your hard work is helping everyone who needs to find their lifesaving match.”

Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching stem cell donors for people with blood cancer and blood disorders and gives them a second chance at life.

It also carries out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery.

 

Main Picture: Victoria Bottling pictured with fellow fundraiser Lily Ryan-Harper