00:00We had massive drives and sign-up drives where we broke records and got thousands of people from schools and uni signing up.
00:07And people were really touched by Ellis' story.
00:11Today we honour a man who embodied the soul of old Red Cliffians, Ellis Joseph.
00:17Diagnosed with leukaemia in early 2024, Ellis sparked the now-renowned Try for Ellis campaign.
00:23Wow, so I mean we started, we linked up with Anthony Nolan as the main charity to help sort of cover it along with the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, so the ACLT.
00:35And we put together a massive sort of push to get people on the stem cell register.
00:41So we had a big day up here in the middle of last year where we put out lots of advertisement and we got loads of people from around the rugby community in Bristol to come here,
00:51get tested, get sent off and get registered to the stem cell research programme.
00:57I think the rugby community, he's a big part of this club, but he's a big part of the rugby community as well.
01:03And I think the age of him probably shocked a lot of people and rallied a lot of people.
01:09So yeah, kind of a year down the line, unfortunately, Ellis lost his battle.
01:15But we've had, off the back of the Try for Ellis campaign, I believe we've had three positive matches.
01:21In fact, one of our own club members and Ellis' really close friends was, not long after he passed, was called upon to go and donate his own stem cells.
01:32With a mix of bravery and humour, Ellis remained defiant till the end, even as the campaign made waves nationwide.
01:39Sadly, on the 7th of February, 2025, at 27, he passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by loved ones and exactly where he wished to be.
01:50Getting the news at work and just being one of those things that in the back of your mind, you're probably thinking is going to happen, but it's gone for so long now.
02:00You're hoping that it's going to sort of never come.
02:01But yeah, just real sort of shockwaves through everyone individually, people at the club that have known him for their whole life.
02:08Yeah, so this week we have organised, well, everyone, you know, especially Sam Rees, who was a teammate of his, has found a link with another charity called Rugby Against Cancer,
02:21who, again, like we did with the Try for Ellis campaign, harnessed the spirit of the rugby community to raise awareness and funds for those suffering with cancer.
02:30So we have a day, Sunday the 31st of August, a big family day up here where there'll be live music, there'll be food, you know, there'll be entertainment going on.
02:39Ellis Joseph's story isn't just one of courage, it's become a narrative of community, legacy and action.
02:46From the swabbing sessions at Scotland Lane to the charity matches and social media storm, the Try for Ellis campaign showed what rugby and community can achieve together.
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