Bergers bag the lot at Anthony Nolan Awards

An MP and a campaigning family who share a surname despite being no relation have also shared the plaudits at the Houses of Parliament as the Anthony Nolan Supporter Awards were dished out.

Luciana Berger MP posed with Kenton mum Sharon Berger and her family, after her children’s campaign to register stem cell donors.

Jonni and Caroline Berger set up the #Spit4Mum campaign when their mother needed a life-saving stem cell donation from a matching donor who was genetically far more likely to come from the Ashkenazi descent.

Their efforts to register British Jews paid off when a matching donor was found, and national authorities subsequently found that Finchley, Golders Green and Hendon had the highest concentration of donors in the country.

“It was a really poignant night,” said Jonni. “The whole family was there. It showcased the work of some amazing people and our mum was very proud.”

Luciana Berger MP, the Labour front-bencher and Shadow Minister for Public Health, won political supporter of the year award.

A regular supporter of the Anthony Nolan Trust, she has got involved in campaigns such as Capes vs. Cancer, tabled parliamentary questions and championed efforts to encourage more young people from ethnic minority backgrounds to join the stem cell donor register.