Keynsham-based construction company, Dribuild, has gone above and beyond for Bristol hospitals by raising over £50,000 in less than twelve months for urgent medical research into the treatment of Immune Thrombocytopenia (ITP).

ITP is a rare blood condition whereby platelets are destroyed causing potentially life-threatening bleeding, bruising and severe tiredness. The autoimmune disease currently affects an estimated 3 in 100,000 adults and can be difficult to treat. 

Dr Charlotte Bradbury, ITP Research Lead at University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust, explains more:

The treatment for patients with a new diagnosis of ITP has not changed for decades and is unsatisfactory as the medicines have lots of side effects and often don’t work. It can take several months before the best treatment is found and the illness is controlled. In the meantime, patients feel very ill, have bleeding problems, drug side effects, frequent hospital visits and usually can’t work or carry on with their normal lives.

“The incredible amount raised by Dribuild will be essential to help us develop new blood tests that can predict the best early treatments for patients to help avoid side effects and most importantly, make them better quicker.”

Dribuild started fundraising for the cause in March 2016 when it chose local hospital charity Above & Beyond as its Charity of the Year. The business initially pledged to raise £50,000 but through a number of fundraising events such as a day at Bath Racecourse, which raised over £33,000 in one day, the team’s final fundraising total stands at £53,000 – the highest amount fundraised by a single corporate partner.

Commenting on the achievement, Matt Tyler, Managing Director at Dribuild said:

Above & Beyond is a fantastic organisation whose work stretches from providing the latest equipment to funding new research in Bristol’s city centre hospitals – no doubt we’ve all been touched at some point in our lives by the brilliant care the doctors and nurses provide.

“The support and generous donations we have received from everyone has been incredible. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed towards smashing our target of £50,000” he added.

Cressida Prout, Corporate Partnerships & Community Fundraising Manager at Above & Beyond added:

“We are truly blown away by the dedication and commitment Dribuild has shown over the past twelve months to support Bristol city centre hospitals.

“They have thrown themselves into fundraising from day one and the results are clear to see. Every penny raised will go directly to the ITP research group at Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre and will make a huge difference to their work into new treatments for ITP – a debilitating condition which has previously received little attention and funding.”

All money raised will go towards ground-breaking national research at Bristol’s hospitals which will benefit ITP patients across the UK. Specifically, the funds will help to develop essential new blood tests which predict whether certain treatments will work and enable doctors to select the best route of patient treatment on an individual basis.

Find out how your company can help support Bristol city centre hospitals here.