Stem cells / bone marrow
You can get started as a potential stem cell donor online straightaway and have a DIY registration kit sent to you.
How to Register
Our Mission
To help save and improve lives by educating, inspiring and motivating people, especially from ethnically diverse communities, to register as blood, organ and stem cell donors.
About
‘Team Margot’ has been campaigning for more donors since December 2013 however the charity, Team Margot Foundation was officially established in January 2015. Initially, Team Margot was known as a recruiter of people to the stem cell register, however during treatment Margot needed many blood and platelet transfusions and because Vicki and I considered donating Margot’s organs (after she was declared incurable), we also encouraged more blood and organ donors too.
Three paths to give
Team Margot works with all the UK organisations in the stem cell / bone marrow arena & we are reaching out to the international organisations too – we don’t mind how you choose to register, only that you do please register !
Blood
Become a blood donor. Blood and platelet donations are ideally regular, ongoing commitments.
Become a blood donorOrgan
Register as an organ donor. Organ donation, more often than not, can be our final gesture as human beings.
Register as an organ donor
Margot’s story
Margot had an extremely rare dual lineage Leukaemia with both Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL) & Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML). The consultant haematologist told us that he had only seen 3 such cases in 10 years.
Latest blog posts
Browse The Archive
13 August 2026 · Personal Reflections
Happy 14th birthday, Margot x
29 July 2026 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
A Generational Opportunity – Why the independent review of UK stem cell supply must deliver real change
[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="225"] Margot, Summer 2013[/caption] When my daughter, Margot was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukaemia in 2013, we discovered the hard way that the UK’s stem cell system was not built for everyone. Margot was mixed heritage. Finding a…
12 June 2026 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
The Second APPG Inquiry Report has been published – ‘Fit for Everyone’: Rebuilding a Resilient and Equitable UK Stem Cell Supply
[caption id="attachment_15526" align="alignright" width="211"] Click here or on the image above to view and download the report[/caption] Following the second inquiry conducted by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion, the 'Fit for Everyone' report was officially published earlier this week. Much like…
28 March 2026 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Personal Reflections · Videos & Media
NHSBT Blood Donor Recognition Ceremony
Nelson Olivares at NHS Blood and Transplant invited me to share Margot’s story at a Blood Donor Recognition Ceremony in central London yesterday. [caption id="attachment_15509" align="alignright" width="2560"] With Digby at the Blood Recognition Ceremony yesterday[/caption] I’m always happy to do these talks because it’s about…
5 February 2026 · APPG & Policy
Margot and Team Margot mentioned in the National Cancer Plan statement
Thrilled that @PutneyFleur highlighted Margot and @swab4margot in the #NationalCancerPlan statement. https://youtu.be/N_0ue5yjG4k?si=xPSqbfptCgIY0Xb_ Her words spotlight the vital role of stem cell donation in tackling blood cancers. Margot’s legacy lives on - let’s make it count. #TogetherSavingLives teammargot.com/how-to-register/
28 January 2026 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Please Help Improve Access to Stem Cell Transplant Treatment by joining this study
Interview Study Recruitment: Help Us Improve Access to Stem Cell Transplant Treatment Have you been diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) or Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS)? Are you a caregiver or healthcare professional supporting someone with AML or MDS? I am part of a working group…
24 November 2025 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Team Margot’s submission to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion Inquiry 2025: ‘Ensuring a resilient and sustainable UK stem cell supply for all’
Team Margot made a submission in response to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Ethnicity, Transplantation and Transfusion's 2025 Inquiry call for evidence, titled ‘Ensuring a resilient and sustainable UK stem cell supply for all’ and for the record, we include our submission below. If…
7 October 2025 · Donor Registration · Videos & Media
Team Margot Donor Registration Day
[caption id="attachment_15444" align="alignright" width="225"] I took this photo 12 years ago today, as Vicki was busy packing a bag, preparing for a hospital stay[/caption] For me, Monday 7th October 2013 is a day I’ll never forget. What happened that day that changed my life,…
20 September 2025
#ThankYouDonor
Today is World Marrow Donor Day, which is essentially about gratitude for the actions taken by others, for the greater good. Please join me in thanking all those who have registered as a stem cell donor by telling someone how you feel about this. #ThankYouDonor…
4 September 2025 · APPG & Policy · Videos & Media
NHS Blood and Transplant moves towards more primary school education activity & adopts givingtohelpothers.org resources
Following the closure of the charity, Team Margot Foundation in December, we have been working towards finding a new “home” for the valuable educational resources Team Margot created, developed and hosted on givingtohelpothers.org I’m delighted to share the news that NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT)…
17 July 2025 · Mixed Heritage & Equity
‘CHASING THE ODDS: A JOURNEY OF HOPE’ is now on ITVx
'Chasing the odds: a Journey of Hope' is a new documentary - released on ITVx TODAY - which follows Peter McCleave on a trip to Macau in search of his stem cell donor match. I joined Peter in Macau for a few days, in a…
8 July 2025 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Parliamentary ‘Drop In’ event promotes new stem cell documentary and the urgent need for more mixed heritage donors
The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion held a ‘drop in’ event last month at Portcullis House to promote the need for more mixed heritage stem cell donors. The event took place prior to the launch of a new documentary being released on…
9 May 2025 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity
We should all be more Welsh !
Pictured above (L to R): Dr Daniel McCloskey (Team Margot), Jacob Knox-Hooke (Race Against Blood Cancer), Yaser Martini (Team Margot), Alan Prosser (Director of the Welsh Blood Service), Chris Harvey (Head of the Welsh Bone Marrow Registry), Orin Lewis OBE (ACLT), Deborah Pritchard (Head of…
29 November 2024 · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Personal Reflections · Videos & Media
Searching for Hope: Supporting Peter McCleave’s Life-Saving Mission in Macau
[caption id="attachment_12799" align="alignright" width="210"] Margot, July 2014[/caption] When our 14 month old daughter, Margot was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, doctors told us that she needed a stem cell transplant to stand the best chance of survival. Prior to that, I hadn’t heard about…
26 November 2024 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity
The UK Stem Cell Registry: A milestone achieved, but significant health inequalities remain
In 2015, Team Margot Foundation set an ambitious goal: the doubling in the size of the UK stem cell registry to 2.2 million potential donors and the charity highlighted the urgent need for increased representation from ethnic minority and mixed-heritage backgrounds. The aim wasn’t simply…
17 October 2024 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Personal Reflections · Videos & Media
The charity, Team Margot Foundation, is closing…
Dear Friends and Supporters Today, we find ourselves at a poignant crossroad in the journey of Team Margot Foundation. Over the last decade, thanks to your unwavering support, we have achieved remarkable strides in donor advocacy and health equality. And we have helped save many…
1 October 2024 · Donor Registration · Videos & Media
Team Margot Donor Registration Day #JustOneMore: A Decade of Saving Lives
[caption id="attachment_4435" align="alignleft" width="300"] Heading off to the SKY News studio in May 2014, post stem cell transplant, to launch the 'Just One More' campaign - at the time, Vicki & I believed that Margot was cancer free[/caption] This year marks ten years since we…
21 September 2024 · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Reflecting on Ten Years of Worldwide Progress: A Thank You to Every Stem Cell Donor on World Marrow Donor Day
Ten years ago, when Margot needed a bone marrow transplant, the world felt a little different. The worldwide stem cell donor registry was about half the size it is today. That’s a sobering thought. Back then, Margot, like so many others in a similar situation,…
5 July 2024 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
Labour’s Moment of Opportunity to Pioneer Health Equity from Britain
The United Kingdom stands at a unique intersection of cultural and demographic trends unlike any other developed nation. With the largest proportionate population of mixed heritage individuals in the developed world, the UK's ethnic landscape is a relatively recent phenomenon, largely emerging since the 1960s.…
28 May 2024 · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Reflecting on World Blood Cancer Day: Our Shared Responsibility
Today, on World Blood Cancer Day, we stand together to acknowledge the immense challenges faced by those battling blood cancers and to reaffirm our commitment to saving lives through increased awareness and donor registrations. Blood cancer has touched many lives, including my own family’s. When…
22 April 2024 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
With your help, May is now Mayrrow!
In December 2013, Team Margot launched Margot’s appeal for a stem cell and bone marrow donor, the recommended treatment that could give Margot and others like her, the best chance of survival. Today, Team Margot is proud to announce a new initiative in partnership with…
20 March 2024 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
Urgent Call to Action for Improving Donor Availability and Transplant & Transfusion Equity in the UK
In an unprecedented move, over 110 experts, individuals and organisations have signed an open letter to the Prime Minister (co-signatories listed below), urging immediate actions to address the shortage of organ, blood and stem cell in the UK. Spearheaded by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for…
8 March 2024 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
It really does help if you write to your local MP – here’s how…
[caption id="attachment_14909" align="alignright" width="300"] BLOOD DONATION: Click image above to watch video 👆[/caption] I am writing this blog post specifically for the blood and platelet donors who are attending the NHS Blood and Transplant Blood Recognition Ceremony in London, later today (I have the privilege…
10 February 2024 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion AGM: Wednesday 7 February 2024
[caption id="attachment_14800" align="alignright" width="300"] L to R: Nadia Martini, Baroness Mobarik, Yaser Martini, Sarah Olney MP (Chair of APPG)[/caption] The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion held it's Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Wednesday 7 February 2024 in Portcullis House. Click the links…
11 December 2023 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Over 100 people join the APPG Inquiry report launch
A week ago today, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion launched the inquiry report: ‘Where are our nation’s donors?’ with more than 100 people in attendance. The launch followed a number of meetings with key stakeholders prior to the event and…
4 December 2023 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
APPG REPORT SAYS LIVES ARE BEING LOST BECAUSE OF LACK OF MIXED HERITAGE AND ETHNIC MINORITY DONORS
[caption id="attachment_14683" align="alignright" width="214"] Click image above, or here to view and download report[/caption] The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion (ETT) today published its report “Where are our nation’s donors?”. This follows an inquiry held by the Chair of the APPG…
7 October 2023 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
Team Margot Donor Registration Day 2023
[caption id="attachment_157" align="alignleft" width="225"] June 2013, pre diagnosis[/caption] [caption id="attachment_12881" align="alignright" width="300"] 7th October is Team Margot Donor Registration Day[/caption] My late daughter, Margot was diagnosed with blood cancer ten years ago today. During the early hours of the following morning, Margot arrived at the…
6 October 2023
Margot’s father speaks at Buckinghamshire New University at the start of Black History Month
I was honoured to be invited by Buckinghamshire New University to talk at their 'Black History Month' launch event on Monday 2 October 2023, alongside Orin Lewis OBE from ACLT (African Carribean Leukaemia Trust). Special thanks to Margaret Rioga, who amongst other things heads up…
30 September 2023 · APPG & Policy
Introducing… Orgtober
Tomorrow marks the start of an entirely new month… Orgtober - organ donation education month - however by simply adopting this change in language, you can start TODAY! Please read the personal Statement from our partner, Roydon Turner, Founder of the Orgamites Programme: I am…
23 September 2023 · Videos & Media
Organ Donation Week 2023
Unbeknown to me, Margot’s big brother, Oscar (16) joined the Organ Donor Register when he signed up for his provisional drivers licence. Surprised and delighted to see this come in through the post, and during Organ Donation Week too… Well done Oscar 🙌 At times…
23 September 2023 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media · Team Margot Impact
Grant Giving by Team Margot Foundation
Updated September 2023 Since it's inception and by the end of this calendar year, Team Margot Foundation will have made grants totalling £339,100, which is in addition to the £275,000+ raised & donated by Team Margot, prior to the formation of the charity. This means…
14 June 2023 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity
World Blood Donor Day 2023
Today, on World Blood Donor Day, 13 MPs attended a Parliamentary awareness event, organised by Sarah Olney MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion. The event, held to raise awareness of the need to increase the number of registered blood…
13 April 2023 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration
NHSBT Blood Donor recognition ceremony
[caption id="attachment_14331" align="alignleft" width="262"] Andre, who has the Ro blood subtype[/caption] I was honoured to be invited to speak at another NHSBT blood donor recognition ceremony today, attended by 160 people at The Stoop, Harlequins Rugby ground. The event was to celebrate donors who have…
27 March 2023 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion Announce Parliamentary Inquiry into Diversity, Donation and Delivery
27th March 2023 The recently formed All-Party Parliamentary Group for Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion (ETT) announced the launch of Parliamentary Inquiry into the access to donors for those from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The Inquiry was announced at the Groups inaugural launch in Parliament today to…
6 December 2022 · APPG & Policy · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Team Margot is Secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group: Ethnicity Transplantation and Transfusion
Team Margot Foundation had a bit of a landmark day on Tuesday 6 December when a new All-Party Parliamentary Group held its inaugural meeting. The charity conceived of this idea (thanks to one of our team, Alan Miller pictured above, far right) and in the…
26 October 2022
Margot’s father Yaser speaks at Cancer52’s Annual All Stakeholder Event
I was privileged to speak at the Cancer52 Annual All Stakeholder Event in London on 12th October 2022, which was attended by the Minister for Health, Will Quince. This event was marked by the launch of Cancer52's report: Taking Action on Inequalities in Rare and…
25 October 2022 · APPG & Policy
Parliamentary Reception – Celebrating Blood Donation & Black History Month
Margot's Auntie Nadia and I attended a Parliamentary Reception in the Jubilee Room at the houses of Commons yesterday, alongside NHS Blood and Transplant, ACLT Charity and The Sickle Cell Society. The event was kindly hosted by Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP, to celebrate Blood Donation &…
7 October 2022 · Donor Registration · Videos & Media
Today, we are publicly sharing Margot’s private blog, for the first time
Shortly after Margot was diagnosed with blood cancer, Vicki and I realised that we had a communication issue. Bad news travels fast and we had quickly become inundated and overwhelmed with enquiries from people who were all asking the same question: “how’s Margot ?” So…
6 June 2022 · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Personal Reflections
Yaser Martini awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours
I am extremely proud to announce that my brother, Margot's father, Yaser has been awarded a British Empire Medal in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022 for services to Stem Cell Donation. Family & friends came together as 'Team Margot' in late 2013 when Yaser and…
3 June 2022 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration
“Over the years, those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented, and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives.”
“Over the years, those who have seemed to me to be the most happy, contented, and fulfilled have always been the people who have lived the most outgoing and unselfish lives.” Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee 2022 ____________ Margot's father Yaser talks…
6 May 2021 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media · Team Margot Impact
Team Margot’s Impact Report & Three Year Strategic Plan
Dear Team Margot Supporter Team Margot was a desperate reaction to a situation thrust upon our family. Our progress since forming the charity has been homespun and the trustees recognise that going forward, in order to scale and remain strategically relevant, a more focused plan…
21 February 2021 · Videos & Media
Margot’s legacy is your legacy too.
[caption id="attachment_13460" align="alignleft" width="225"] Margot & Vicki during her bone marrow transplant, 21 February 2014[/caption] “Stem cell / Bone marrow transplants themselves are surprisingly unremarkable events, which belies their vital significance. The bone marrow itself looks very much like blood and the transplant process itself…
14 January 2021
London Karate supports Team Margot
[caption id="attachment_13320" align="alignleft" width="224"] Rufus, aged 4[/caption] [caption id="attachment_13322" align="alignright" width="293"] Rufus & Digby[/caption] Margot's brother, Rufus started learning Karate at the age of four and today (12) remains a student (purple belt). Similarly, Digby (5) took up Karate last year and for a while,…
27 February 2020 · Team Margot Impact
Parkdean Resorts adopts Team Margot Foundation as its chosen charity
https://youtu.be/yBmIMXtA00s On behalf of all at Team Margot, I am delighted to share the fantastic news that the UK’s largest holiday park operator, Parkdean Resorts has selected Team Margot Foundation as its first corporate charity. With 67 parks located in unrivalled locations, Parkdean Resorts is…
21 February 2020 · APPG & Policy · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Personal Reflections · Videos & Media · Team Margot Impact
The future of Team Margot Foundation is about education
[caption id="attachment_12799" align="alignright" width="210"] Margot, July 2014[/caption] Dear Team Margot Supporter Our family set up Team Margot Foundation three months after Margot died and last month marked five years as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation and over six years since we launched Margot’s appeal for her…
9 September 2019 · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity
Why your mixed heritage could be vital
In 2013, my daughter Margot was diagnosed with blood cancer and she needed a bone marrow transplant to stand the best chance of survival. But a transplant isn’t possible without a donor. In the search for her donor match, we learned that Margot’s mixed heritage…
28 April 2019 · Donor Registration
What’s it like to actually donate ?
Donors talk about their stem cell & bone marrow donation experiences [caption id="attachment_11393" align="alignright" width="300"] Tom[/caption] [caption id="attachment_11399" align="alignleft" width="355"] Sam Bell[/caption] Tom [pictured - click here for his story] is just one of many people who signed up as a potential bone marrow donor…
11 August 2018 · Donor Registration · Mixed Heritage & Equity · Videos & Media
The Culture and Philosophy of ‘Giving to help others’
We set up Team Margot Foundation in January 2015, in memory of my daughter, Margot and to honour her legacy. A year earlier, Margot’s patient appeal for a bone marrow donor saw over 50,000 people in the UK alone requesting swab kits online, in order…
Advocacy
Where are our nation's donors?
That APPG was established by Team Margot and its first inquiry report, 'Where are our nation's donors?', published in December 2023, laid bare the double inequity faced by minority ethnic and mixed-heritage patients: higher need for transplants in some communities and significantly lower chances of finding a well-matched donor.
A note from October 2024
While the charity, Team Margot Foundation is drawing to a close, our personal and individual dedication to these causes will continue, albeit outside the formal structure of a charity. Team Margot will continue to advocate for donation and fight the health inequalities that minority ethnic and mixed heritage patients face with transplant and transfusion treatments.
