'Campaigning in Margot's name will stay with me'

Margot's plight captured the hearts of millions around the world

The father of a little girl who inspired a charity in her name said she had left a "fantastic lasting legacy" as they announced the organisation would close after a decade.

Yaser and Vicki Martini founded Team Margot in January 2015, three months after the death of two-year-old Margot to leukaemia.

The family began campaigning under the Team Margot name since December 2013 when Margot needed a stem cell transplant. They have since encouraged tens of thousands of people to register as donors, including many from the West Midlands.

"The campaigning will probably stay with me for the rest of my days," Mr Martini said.

The picture of Margot smiling into the camera captured the hearts of people across the world as her family searched for a donor to help save her life.

Reflecting on more than a decade of campaigning, Mr Martini said: "The most meaningful thing I think we have done is Margot's appeal.

"Tens of thousands of people signed up to be potential stem cell donors in the UK."

Mr Martini said that accounted for more than 500 people being able to have stem cell donations over 10 years who otherwise would not have been able to,

"That's around one a week and that feels great to know," he said.

"That's a fantastic lasting legacy."

Tens of thousands of people registered as stem cell donors after an appeal by the charity

In a statement made on its website, the charity said: "This decision comes at a time when the demands of our ambitious projects and the shifting political landscape call for new energy and expertise that surpass what we can currently offer.

"Our commitment to the mission we set out on remains as strong as ever."

The charity thanked people for their "unwavering support", having "achieved remarkable strides in donor advocacy and health equality".

While the family lived in Roehampton, London, Margot's mother came from Essington in Staffordshire, with Margot's aunt living in Tettenhall, Wolverhampton.

Margot's parents have been campaigning under the name Team Margot since December 2013

As well as encouraging people to become donors, Team Margot has also urged people to think about donating their organs after death and to let their loved ones know their wishes.

Despite it being an opt-out system for organ donation in the UK, families can still override this decision.

Mr Martini said he and his wife had considered donating Margot's organs after she died.

Despite them being unable to do so, they were glad they had the conversation.

"If you don't tell your loved ones, they can overrule and do something against your wishes, so tell them what your wishes are," he said.

Margot had two forms of leukaemia and died at the age of two

Alongside this, the charity provided educational resources for schools regarding organ and blood donation, called Giving To Help Others, and financially helped more than 340 families with sick children.

More recently, Team Margot provided support to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for ethnicity transplantation and transfusion, which was established in December 2022.

It led to a parliamentary report, raising awareness of health inequalities faced by mixed heritage and ethnic minority patients requiring an organ or stem cell transplant or a blood transfusion.

"The NHS was set up for free healthcare for all, but the world has changed and it's not fit for purpose in that case," Mr Martini said.

He added that people of mixed heritage had "double whammy inequity" in this regard, as people were more predisposed to having conditions that needed a donor, as well as there being a lack of suitable donations for this group.

While the charity is winding down, Mr Martini hopes to still campaign and support the parlimentary group unofficially.

"To me, Team Margot - it's still part of your ethos and your heart," he said.