Alastair Campbell's Message
Alastair Campbell is Tony Blair's former Director of Communications and Chairman of Fundraising for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research.
"Good luck to Ben and the team. As chairman of fundraising for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, I never cease to be amazed by the commitment and enterprise of supporters new and old. So many of them come into this because of their own experience, as I did after losing my best friend and his daughter to leukaemia. Ben lost his father and in every penny he raises, and every swim stroke he makes as he crosses the channel, he will both be keeping his father's memory alive, but also helping to ensure others avoid this horrible disease. LLR is a well-run charity, focused as its name suggests on research - research which has helped seen childhood leukaemia rates drop from being a virtual death sentence to around nine out of ten young leukaemia sufferers now surviving. There is still a lot to do in relation to older people and young adults, which is why the efforts of people like Ben and his friends are so important."
You can find out more about Alastair's involvement with the charity here, and with the video below.
Alastair Campbell made a film for Inside Out about the charity's development.