The Lives & Times book is raising funds for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. Over the course of 18 months I met and photographed people from all walks of life to form the chapters of Lives & Times. Every single person taking part gave up their own time to do it and ALL proceeds are donated to the charity. Over £3750 raised so far and every sale counts. www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk
I can't believe that it was 3 years ago now that I met Norma de Bidaph, who runs the Gearlink Kawasaki motorbike team with her husband Michael. Norma is in remission from bowel cancer, and is a keen fundraiser for bowel cancer charities. She has also been especially supportive of my fundraising efforts. She sent me this brilliant photo of her with the charity book.
The chapter on Norma in Lives & Times, which was published in 2015, moves away from the celebrity angle of some of the chapters, and shows how the book contains chapters on the everyday person as well. She invited me to the Thruxton Circuit to a round of the British Superbikes Championship. In the chapter I describe our meeting, Norma's battle with bowel cancer, and the whole experience including my efforts to photograph the motorbikes that were flying past at speeds in excess of 200mph.
Like many, who have battled with cancer, Norma doesn't consider herself brave, but just having to face the illness head on. I found her truly inspirational, and the affection she is held in by everyone associated with the sport was shown time and time again during the day. She is absolutely lovely, and looked after me very well in spite of being on the go non-stop all day. I am looking forward to returning to a race meeting and seeing Norma again sometime soon.
It is now almost a year since my Mum passed away after fighting bowel cancer for over four years. I am currently doing a new book dedicated to her memory, which will once again donate its proceeds to Beating Bowel Cancer. As well as fundraising, the books also aim to help raise awareness about bowel cancer. It is the second highest cancer killer, and yet if detected early can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases.
To see how you can buy a copy of Lives & Times click here. ALL proceeds raised are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. The book has raised over £3250 so far.
A massive thanks to sports journalist and broadcaster Melinda Farrell for sending me the above photo of the Lives & Times bowel cancer fundraising book taken in the press box on the day 4 of the 3rd Test between England and Pakistan last August. It has to be one of the most impressive locations that the book has been photographed at so far. Melinda appears in the book as I met and photographed her in London during the 2015 cricket season. Melinda has been a great supporter of the book and we have remained in contact on social media. She had said that she would like to buy a copy of the book so the cricket in Birmingham was the perfect opportunity for me to get a copy of the book to her.
We met up outside the press centre during the lunch break. I also reunited Melinda with the Beating Bowel Cancer tie from the charity that the book supports, and she is one of the those who not only posed with the tie, but was able to tie it properly which she put down to a catholic school education! I can't thank Melinda enough for her continued support, and you can follow her work on ESPNCRICINFO. I think the reason for her huge smile was being photographed with Ian Bell in the background!
I have been supporting Beating Bowel Cancer since 2012, as it was then that my mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Sadly she lost her long battle with this terrible illness on August 29th last year. Lives & Timeshas now raised over £3000 for Beating Bowel Cancer. All proceeds are donated to the charity so please support the book and the recent stunning screen print both of which are available to purchase from my www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website.
Roll forward to April 2017, and Melinda was back in the press box when I met George Dobell for the new fundraising book I am currently doing..
Here is another great bundle offer that I have introduced on the bowelcancerfundraising website. I am now offering the paperback and hardback editions of Lives & Times booksbundled together for £29.99. This is a saving of £5 on when purchased separately.
The deluxe hardback edition would grace any coffee table and makes an ideal gift. The paperback copy is the perfect book for every day reading and for being able to dip in and out of it on your daily commute.
I have been fundraising for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity since my Mum's first bowel operation 2012 and the website offers a range of items. All proceeds raised are donated to the charity. My Mum passed away in August 2016 after a brave and dignified battle with bowel cancer.
I am really pleased to announce that the paperback edition of the Lives & Times book is now on sale at the Grove Bookshop in Ilkley, the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales. It is one of the best known independent bookshops in the North of England. They are another independent retailer who have come on board and agreed to sell the book for me. The book will retail at £10 in the shop, so the profits from each sale will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer. So for anyone who lives in Ilkley or is visiting the area and wants to get hold of the book, this is a great way to get hold of a copy. The photo shows Lives & Times on display in some great company.
Lorraine Kelly sporting the Beating Bowel Cancer tie
One of the final photographs I took for the book was of ITV daytime TV presenter Lorraine Kelly. It was a glorious crisp and sunny morning last September, and I ended up meeting Lorraine in the studio right after her daily morning show had finished.
The chapter in the book describes the experience in full, and it was fascinating spending time watching a live show from the back of the studio behind the cameras. I wasn't expecting to be able to take Loraine's photo in the studio, so that was a real bonus. She was lovely and couldn't have been more helpful and accommodating, and the studio set was even kept in place for a few extra minutes to enable to do the photography.
Lorraine Kelly with the Lives & Times book
I received a photo from Lorraine with her copy of the book after publication. When I met her she also very kindly did me a short video message to help with the book's promotion which you can view on youtube.
My mother successfully had surgery in February 2014 to remove a cancerous nodule from her left lung, which as expected was a secondary cancer related to her bowel cancer of 2012. This was her fourth cancer operation in two and a half years. She made a great recovery, but unfortunately last October another cancerous nodule was detected on her left lung following her regular CT scan. The plan was for Mum to have surgery to have the nodule removed, but unfortunately in November Mum had a seizure and after tests we discovered that the cancer had spread to her brain, so that operation was postponed. In January she had "CyberKnife" treatment over three consecutive days for the brain cancer. Attention was then turned back to the lung, and she was operated on in early March and they removed the lower lob of her left lung as more nodules had appeared. Although Mum made a good recovery from the operation, unfortunately the brain cancer recently returned with a vengeance and a recent seizure put mum in hospital for 6 weeks unable to move her right hand, right leg and badly affecting her speech. Devastatingly and very sadly the cancer is now terminal, and Mum has been moved into a nursing home where she can receive 24/7 care that she needs for the time she has left.
If anything the whole point of doing the book has been even more reinforced by this recent turn of events. Please support this fundraising book as every sale counts both in raising money and raising awareness about bowel cancer.
To read how you can order the Lives & Times fundraising book for Beating Bowel Cancer click here.
I have spent some time recently researching different ways of the various ways to buy the Lives & Times book. After all it is available all over the world. In the UK many people have used my own www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website or bought it from Amazon. In countries such as the United States, Amazon is a good place to buy the book as it is shipped locally and saves on postage costs. However in many countries it is not possible to buy the physical edition of the book on Amazon, and for me to post the book from the UK is not really financially viable.
So one excellent option is the Book Depository online store and you can view the book on their website by clicking here. This site offers Lives & Times at the same list price as you would pay in the UK from Amazon, but with the added advantage that it offers free shipping to anywhere in the world! So now people in Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, South Africa, Dubai, Singapore or you name it, can order a physical copy of the book and have it delivered for free.
My mother has recently had treatment for the spread of the bowel cancer to her lungs and brain. She had the lower left lung lob removed in March, whilst she underwent "Cyberknife" treatment in January for the brain cancer. A recent seizure caused by the tumour on her brain put mum in hospital for 6 weeks leaving her virtually paralysed down her right side and badly affected her speech. The devastating news is that the cancer is now terminal.
All proceeds from sales of the book are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity.
I met up with Australian sports journalist and broadcaster Melinda Farrell, who works for ESPN Cricinfo, outside Bank Tube Station in London last summer, 2015, to photograph her for the Lives & Times charity book. As you can see she was a great sport posing for a photo with the bowel cancer tie, and recording a video message to help promote the book. The location gave us the magnificent backdrop of Mansion House for the main photo. My Sunday ended up going out for a curry in Reading. Melinda's ended up with dinner at The Ritz!
Melinda spent our British winter in the much warmer locations of Australia and India covering cricket, although I think she got slightly caught out with the weather when she covered the cricket close to the Himalayas! Melinda is now back in the UK for our summer of cricket, and I am looking forward to getting a copy of the book to her. The book was published at the end of November and the fundraising, including the new Lives & Times Screen Print, has so far raised over £2100 for the charity.
Whilst Melinda has been away my mother's battle with bowel cancer has continued. She had her 5th major operation in four years in March when she had the lower lob of her left lung removed. The primary cancer from the bowel has also spread to the brain in the form of two tumours. One tumour has responded well to treatment, but the other one has recently increased in size. Unfortunately another seizure put Mum in hospital for six weeks pretty much paralysing her down her right side. Two weeks ago we got the devastating news the cancer is now terminal, and Mum has now moved into the St Marks Care Home in Maidenhead where she can get the necessary care 24/7 and be as comfortable as possible. So whilst the book is a warm, heartwarming and uplifting read, the reasons for doing it, raising funds for Beating Bowel Cancer and awareness about this awful disease remain ever so important. Anyone buying the book is helping to make a difference and work towards beating bowel cancer.
I was delighted to be a part of Beating Bowel Cancer Patient Day held at The Royal College of Surgeons in London. This annual event brings together bowel cancer patients and their families for a day of support, education and inspiration. Jumping ahead to the end of the day I got to meet, Baroness Floella Benjamin OBE, the patron of the charity. Floella sadly lost her mother to bowel cancer. For many of us she will always be remembered from her time as a presenter on Play School. How on earth does Floella manage to look exactly the same??
I was there to sell copies of the Lives & Times book to raise as much money for the charity as possible. This was a complete first for me and I finally had to emerge from behind my social media and internet identity to meet people in the real world.
Centre photo is, Mark Flannagan, the CEO of Beating Bowel Cancer. It was great to finally meet him as well as so many other members of the charity who I have been in contact with over the last four years. Mark ensured that the book sales got off to a flyer by kindly giving it a plug during his opening address. On the right is Ian Jackson, who has recovered from bowel cancer, who was my neighbour for the day on the Colostomy Association stand. Ian was the first person to buy a book on the day.
Going into the day I knew that it would be quite a lot to do on my own so I decided to ask for some help. Over recent months I have been absolutely amazed and touched by the warmth of support for me and the book from one group in particular. A fans group of my favourite band, The Alarm, on Facebook have been buying the book in large numbers helping me push the fundraising past £1000. It soon became apparent that, as well as the support, unfortunately far too many of them have been touched by bowel cancer losing family members. I am already confident that I have made some great new friendships that will endure for the long term. I am looking forward to meeting many of them next January in Llandudno. Tina Atkins, one such person, came along to help me for the whole day, giving up her Saturday and travelling down from Cambridge. Sadly her husband Mike lost his mother to bowel cancer. We hadn't met before, so it was really nice meeting her on the day and we made a great team selling more books than we dared hope. £130 raised on the day took the total raised so far by the book to over £1300.
The pop up banner and my specially designed shirt for the day went down a treat and made it pretty impossible for anyone to miss the stand. I consider the day an over whelming success so I would love to try this again.
Apart from my massive thanks to Tina for her help, I would like to thank everyone at the charity for making me feel so welcome, all the people who came up and said hello, and of course to every single person who kindly bought a copy of the book. If you would like to support and buy a copy of the book there are many ways to hold of a copy. To see how you can purchase it click here. All proceeds raised are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity.
Last month my Mum underwent her 5th operation in her four year battle with bowel cancer. In 2012 she was diagnosed with bowel cancer and had successful surgery to remove part of her bowel. Unfortunately since then she has been plagued by secondary cancer, especially targeting her left lung. The recent operation at Harefield Hospital removed the lower lob of her left lung where the nodules have formed each time. It was a very long day for her. She was prepared by the staff for surgery in the morning being third on the list, but they didn't take her down to surgery until 2.00. We waited for news and for when Mum would be back on the HDU ward. Eventually at 10.30 she was transferred from the recovery unit to HDU, and then onto a normal ward a couple of days later. She was in hospital for just over a week before coming home last weekend. She is making good progress at home convalescing well. It's not easy for someone as active as she is to rest up, and she is a little frustrated at, what she perceives to be, the slow progress of the healing progress. She gets very tired at the moment, but hardly surprising after having had a large chuck of her left lung taken out so recently. She has seen the lung surgeon for a post op consultation, who was very pleased with Mum's progress, and how well she was looking so soon after surgery. Mum has to try and pace herself a bit better, but that aside it was all very good. Next week she has an appointment with the oncologist.
It's been a rough old road for her. The last few months have been particularly tough for her since the cancer, not only targeted her lung again, but also spread to her brain which resulted in a scary seizure at the end of November. She had CyberKnife treatment for that in January. Recently her speech has deteriorated again and she is awaiting the results of her recent scan to see what's happening. She is back on steroids to reduce the swelling and will see her oncologist in the week or so to see what happens next. For someone who is turning 80 this year she is fighting hard, and in my eyes genuinely a true bowel cancer warrior! She epitomises the brave, courageous spirit of so many cancer patients. It was hard fought victory in her battle with bowel cancer, and she is now gearing up for another possible encounter with this dreadful illness!
I published the Lives & Times book on November 27th, coincidentally the same day she had the seizure. It has raised over £1150 for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity so far. All proceeds I receive from sales of the book are donated to the charity. The book was completed over 18 months, and I met and photographed many famous, and some not so famous, people for the book. So many different and fascinating chapters to enjoy. To see how you can order the book, which is available as an eBook, paperback and hardback, click here.
So who can you expect to read about in the book...
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE
Katherine Grainger CBE
Phil Parkes
Mick Channon
Jonathan Agnew
Lorraine Kelly
Christopher Biggins
Matthew Wright
Freya North
Ben Richards
Carrie Grant
Gail Porter
Alan Davies
Shaun Keaveny
Mike Read
John Shuttleworth
Tom Rosenathal
Antonia Mariconda
Status Quo
The Stranglers
The Alarm
Clare Grogan
Dodgy
Mikes Hunt& Erica Nockalls
Horace Panter
My Mum!
And so very much more.... Over 100 photos and about 45,000 words.
Next month I am going to be selling copies of the Lives & Times book at Beating Bowel Cancer's Patient Day 2016. The charity has very kindly granted a spot at the event at The Royal College Of Surgeons on April 16th.
This will be the first time I will have done anything like this, taking the book out the internet sales platform into the real world, so it's going to be a very exciting day I imagine. In making my preparations for the event I have made sure I have stocked up on both the paperback and hardback editions of the book. This is of course a bit of a gamble as if I don't sell many I will be left with quite a few books to shift... I am also in the process of creating a pop-up banner, and the first prototype design, which you can see above, has been created by my work neighbours. If the event goes well it could be something I look to do again at other events.
My mother got home from hospital last Friday and is recuperating well. The challenge now is to try and stop her doing too much and pace herself. She has bounced back from major surgery so well once again, but is doing way too much too soon. Very difficult to tell her to slow down with her selective hearing /stubborn streak! :)
The book fundraising total went past £950 over the weekend and is moving ever closer towards £1000. To get to this figure would be a fantastic achievement and testament to the wonderful support of everyone who has kindly bought the book so far. To see how you can order the book click here. Please support this book and help me raise as much money as possible for the charity. Bowel cancer remains the second biggest cancer killer in the UK, but if detected early has a survival rate of over 90%.
Today is World Book Day 2016, and if there is one book you might consider buying then please take a look at the Lives & Times fundraising book for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. Over the course of 18 months I met and photographed people from all walks of life to form the chapters of Lives & Times. Every single person taking part has given up their own time to do it and all funds raised go to Beating Bowel Cancer. Inside the book there are over 100 photographs and over 40,000 words.
The book features chapters on Katherine Grainger, Sir Steve Redgrave, Gabby Logan, Jonathan Agnew, Nadine Dorries, Lorraine Kelly, Christopher Biggins, Ben Richards, Matthew Wright, Freya North, Gail Porter, Alan Davies, Shaun Keaveny, Mike Read, Status Quo, The Alarm, The Stranglers, Horace Panter, Clare Grogan and many others.
My mother has been fighting bowel cancer since 2012, and today she is undergoing her 5th major operation. She had successful surgery to remove part of her bowel in 2012, but the cancer has since spread to her lungs and brain. She is remarkably brave taking everything that is thrown at her and is my inspiration for writing the book.
The Lives & Times can be bought in three different formats. Here is the breakdown on how you can order your copy.
Hardback Edition
Bowel Cancer Fundraising Website. This is the website I have set up. The book costs £25 + P&P of which the £8-£9 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer. Only available to UK customers.
Amazon. The book costs £35.00 of which the approx £4.80 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer.
Paperback Edition
Bowel Cancer Fundraising Website. My website. The book costs £10.25 + P&P of which the £5 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer. Only available to UK customers.
Amazon. The book costs £10.75 of which the approx £2.50 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer.
Ebook Edition
Amazon. The digital edition for the kindle is only available on Amazon at the moment. There are free kindle apps that can run on your iPad and laptop. The book costs £5 of which the approx £2.50 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer.
Worldwide (outside the UK)
Amazon. Search "Lives & Times Tim Darvell" and you won't go too far wrong.
Book Depository. Offers free shipping to anywhere in the world so is a brilliant way for buyers living outside the UK to buy the book.
Finally I am quite happy to sell physical copies of the hardback and paperback editions directly bypassing the websites. Please contact me on email me at timdarv@googlemail.com and we can arrange it on there.
I have been supporting Beating Bowel Cancer since 2012, as it was then that my mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer. In September 2012 she had a section of her bowel removed and then at the start of 2013 she underwent two further operations on her lungs where she had a cancerous nodule ,which was a secondary bowel cancer. She remained in remission for about 18 months, but unfortunately in November 2014 another cancerous nodule appeared on one of her lungs. She underwent surgery in February which was successful, and made a fantastic recovery. Unfortunately her recent CT scan revealed that the cancer has come back and she is undergoing more treatment. The treatment and care she has received throughout has been wonderful. Information about the charity and the work that is does can be found by clicking here.
I have spent quite a lot of time since Lives & Times was published trying to get magazine features or reviews. I been sending out press releases to magazines, national newspapers, Metro and the Evening Standard in London, and a number of online publications.
It is a case of continuously knocking on doors and hoping for a break. Now for the first time I have had a positive response, and today I posting off a copy to a health magazine group. Obviously this doesn't necessarily guarantee me coverage, or good coverage come to that :) But I see this as just another sign, of slowly but surely, there is a bit of momentum building with the book now. It has raised almost £850 for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. The more people that buy the book the more its profile gets raised. I am hoping the same might happen with coverage in the media. If anyone has any decent contacts who may be able to help with getting some media exposure I'd be very grateful.
For anyone reading this who has already bought the book, please could you post a review on Amazon, as every review helps and you don't have to have bought the book on Amazon to post a review.
Happy Valentines Day from Lives & Times. This weekend millions of couples will have the most romantic of times. No doubt red roses, champagne, chocolates and all manner of special gifts will be exchanged. Restaurants will be fully booked and many will cook a candle lit dinner for their loved ones. Buy why not give your loved an extra present this year and something just a little different?
The Lives & Times fundraising book is raising awareness about bowel cancer, which, although very treatable in many instances if caught early, remains the second highest cancer killer in the UK. The book both is entertaining, inspiring and focuses on people and their stories. Over the course of 18 months I met and photographed people from all walks of like including many famous celebrities. In some chapters bowel cancer is a theme, but in many others it was household names coming on board to help support the book. Each chapter features a photograph from the meeting and then I wrote up an anecdotal chapter about the meeting. Don't be put off by a book mentioning bowel cancer, as it's a lot more than that. It will hopefully leave you perhaps more aware bowel cancer and entertained at the same time.
So who can you expect to read about in the book...
Sir Steve Redgrave CBE
Katherine Grainger CBE
Phil Parkes
Mick Channon
Charlie Nicholas
Jonathan Agnew
Henry Blofeld
Lorraine Kelly
Christopher Biggins
Matthew Wright
Freya North
Ben Richards
Carrie Grant
Gail Porter
Alan Davies
Shaun Keaveny
Mike Read
John Shuttleworth
Tom Rosenathal
Antonia Mariconda
Status Quo
The Stranglers
The Alarm
Clare Grogan
Mikes Hunt& Erica Nockalls
Horace Panter
My Mum!
And so very much more....
So many fascinating experiences all put together in one book. Available in paperback, hardback and digital eBook. To see all the ways to order the book click here. Please support this book and every penny I receive is donated to the charity. Over £800 has been raised so far.
It is not too far short of four years since Mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Back then I don't think any of us would have been able to predict where we would be four years on. It was about two years ago that I began work on, Lives & Times, my second fundraising book. At that moment in time Mum had been in remission for a year, and although we always knew there was a chance that the cancer could return, we had pretty much put it behind us. Unfortunately the cancer returned towards the end of 2014 with a nodule on her lung. Mum had already had surgery on her lung just after the original bowel operation. At the beginning of 2015 she had surgery and it was once again successful and Mum was able to pick up her life once again.
During 2015 I pressed on with finishing the book and set a publication date of November 27th. Unfortunately in October at a routine scan another secondary cancerous nodule had appeared on her lung. I think the events of the previous three years had prepared us by this time for such news. It was still a massive shock of course, but Mum knew exactly what would be in store for her in terms of the operation which was set for the beginning of December.
On Friday November 27th, 2015, the Lives & Times fundraising book for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity was published after 18 months of meeting and photographing people. It was an incredibly proud day for me and the response from everyone was amazing ensuring the book has been a great success. However November 27th was also the day when Mum's health took a drastic turn for the worst. Late in the evening she experienced a seizure. At first a stroke was suspected as her speech was affected as well as a weakness in one side of her face, so Mum was kept in hospital for observation. It was then we had the bad news that the cancer had spread to her brain. I have to admit that it had never occurred to me that the cancer would spread there, I thought it had made her lung it's area of attack. Once again this was a secondary cancer from the bowel cancer. She has two lesions on her brain...
A plan of action was put in place very quickly, and at the beginning of January she had three days of "CyberKnife" treatment at Mount Vernon Hospital. This fairly new radiotherapy treatment is very specific in the way it can target the lesions, and the hope is that it will successfully zap the two lesions on her brain. It will be a couple of months before Mum knows the result of the treatment. All this while the nodule on the lung has also been waiting to be treated. This week Mum's oncologist told her that they want to press on with the lung operation. If the lung surgeon agrees this should happen within a few weeks.
It's been a testing period for sure, and Mum, throughout, has remained positive and very determined. She will be 80 later this year, though you wouldn't know it the way she continues to keep herself active. She is very frustrated that the brain cancer is preventing her from driving, but she is allowed to ride her beloved horse off road, which is wonderful and provides her with a means of escape and getting away from everything. It's definitely a case of taking things one day at a time at the moment, and for now Mum has turned her attention back towards the lung. She has been through such a lot and is truly inspirational.
So what about the photo? I took this photo on New Years Day at my brother's birthday drinks. From left to right we have Mum, my cousin Sarah, my niece Anna and my sister Ali. Anna had taken charge of the selfie photographs and I managed to capture a lovely moment. Just three days before the "CyberKnife" treatment Mum pressed on as normal and thoroughly enjoying a night out with the family. It's a photo I could easily have used in the book I reckon!
I am even more determined to keep pushing the book forwards and making it as successful as possible. It has raised just under £750 so far. I am hopeful that it will achieve the £1000 goal I set for it back on November 27th. So much support from everyone. From the many celebrities and normal people in the book, to the kindness and generosity of so many people who have bought the book so far. I know when people see a book about bowel cancer it can bring up images of doom and gloom, and not exactly seem like an enticing topic for bedtime reading. All I can say is that the book is anything but that. It's warm, inspiring and uplifting. In fact it is perfect bedtime reading. Most importantly every copy sold, be it the eBook, paperback or hardback edition, raises not just money for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity, but also helps raise awareness about bowel cancer.
To see how you can buy a copy of Lives & Times click here.
To see how you can buy a copy of Lives & Times click here. ALL proceeds raised are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. The book has raised over £700 so far.
Over the course of the 18 months that it took to put the book together I had to get used to having my requests turned down. I came round to the idea of thinking that I had absolutely nothing to lose in asking someone to be in the book. The worst that could happen would be a "no".
A year or so ago I approached the Duchess of York to be in Lives & Times. I was helped with this by Dafydd Wyn Farr-Jones, a friend I have made through my fundraising efforts. He was actually a great help with, not only the Duchess of York, but also with Lorraine Kelly, who I did manage to meet and photograph for the book. Dafydd has beaten bowel cancer and does a huge amount of fundraising for Beating Bowel Cancer including regular auctions that feature items donated by celebrities. His next auction at www.wannadosomething.co.uk begins on February 4th.
I hadn't received a response from the Duchess of York until today that is. I received a very kind email from her office apologising for the delayed reply, thanking me for my request and sending best wishes to my mother. These kind of messages of support are wonderful and give me a real boost. Not one for missing an opportunity I did ask if the Duchess might appear in a new book if I decide to do another one! Watch this space...
Can A Book About Bowel Cancer Be Heartwarming & Uplifting? In a nutshell yes! The idea behind writing Lives & Times was not to produce a book that dwelled too much on what is a horrible illness that is taking far too many lives each year. Yet at the same time I very much wanted bowel cancer to be a constant theme in the book. For anyone who has come into contact with bowel cancer and think that this book is not for them, I totally respect that, but it might pleasantly surprise you...
What I have learned over the last three years since Mum began her battle with bowel cancer is that the bowel cancer community is a wonderfully warm and giving community who are always there to support people in their hour of need. Many friendships have been made and news ones are being made all the time. This certainly gave me the confidence to approach people for the book where bowel cancer had been a part of their lives.
If you look at the photo you will see smiles in pretty much every photo. This uplifting and heartwarming reaction I got when meeting people certainly carried through to the writing. I have met people who have beaten bowel cancer, and I have met people who have sadly lost loved ones. It has been the most incredible and inspirational journey I have ever been on.
I have been truly touched by the reaction of everyone who has bought the book so far. The messages of support have been amazing and the complimentary comments have made me feel quite emotional at times.
To see how you can buy a copy of the book click here. I have already donated £500 to Beating Bowel Cancer and there is another £100 raised this week. ALL proceeds are donated to the charity.
To see where and how to order the book click here.
The first two weeks of the book's life since publication have been an outstanding success. This is entirely down to the support of the many family, friends and complete strangers who have bought it so far. Today I have been able to make the first donation to Beating Bowel Cancer from the royalties I have received so far. Thanks to everyone I have been able to donate £500 on Justgiving, which is far beyond my expectations.
I am trying very hard not to set myself too many targets. The book itself being out there in the public domain is helping to raise awareness about bowel cancer, which is massively important. These proceeds are based on sales through my www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website and for purchases made directly through me. There have also been quite a few sales through Amazon and other online stores, and I have to wait three months for these payments to come through to me, so there will be more to come from there as well as from the ongoing sales I achieve. The marketing of the book is a massive challenge as it's pretty much me on my own. I am using social media to the max, contacted media organisations (not so successful to date), and I have also had some marvellous support from people featured in the book. The biggest challenge that remains is to try and get the book past friends and family and generate some more sales out in the big wide world. It just needs one lucky break.
The feedback for the book so far has been terrific, which has certainly made the 18 month journey of putting it together very worthwhile. Mum's health has not been brilliant, and she is currently under treatment again for secondary cancer from the bowel cancer. She remains very upbeat and positive, and is still able to ride her horse Shimara, which is her lovely escape route from everything.
To see just some of the people featured in the book click here.
To read about the Lives & Times fundraising book for Beating Bowel Cancer click here.
I thought that the chapter on Maidenhead United and my family's association with the club might be quite newsworthy certainly on the local news front once the book is published. This will still hopefully be the case, but like many Maidenhead United fans I was delighted with their dramatic 1-1 draw at Port Vale in the first round of the FA Cup, which sets up a replay at York Road. Take a look at the Magpies injury time equalizer here.
I saw my first Maidenhead game in 8 years last season, and met up with their then manager Drax Hippolyte, who very kindly agreed to appear in the book. This is my hometown club, and where I would have seen my first game of football in the 1970s with my dad and brother. It was quite an entertaining game against Farnborough in the FA Trophy 2 round ending in a 2-2 draw. It was quite nostalgic for me going back the ground where really everything football all began for me.
It was quite nostalgic seeing the ground, which although has undergone some changes over the years still maintains many of the features that were there when I first went over 40 years ago. One thing I won't be putting in the book is the same outside male toilet in one corner of the ground is still there. It seems to have undergone a minor face-lift, and these does does have a roof, but it's essentially still the same "smelly" WC it was back then.
This chapter will be one of the more fascinating chapters for me to write, as alongside the the photo from the present day there is a strong family connection with the club as my granddad was on the club's committee during the 2nd World War.
To read about the Lives & Times fundraising book for Beating Bowel Cancer click here.
Towards the end of 2014 I photographed Bruce Foxton & From The Jam at SUB 89 in Reading. This was not a normal concert photo as the band very kindly allowed me into the press pit. Normally there is a 3 song rule, where you spend the first 3 songs of the set photographing the band before being kicked out. However on this occasion I was allowed to stay there for the whole gig allowing me to photograph away to my heart's content. It also meant I was able to watch the concert from in front of the front row and for a fan of the music of The Jam this was a real treat.
The Jam played a massive part in shaping my musical tastes as I was growing up. I saw them on their farewell tour at Wembley in 1982, which is now scarily 33 years ago. My one regret with The Jam was not being allowed to go and see them play at the Bracknell Leisure Centre in 1980. I was deemed too young by the folks. Can you believe tickets were selling at £2.50 at, Opus One, the local record shop.
During the course of this book I have repeatedly tried to get Paul Weller to come on board, but all my attempts to contact him ended in failure. So if do another book I shall keep trying... I did manage to make contact with the Facebook page of Rick Buckler, the drummer in The Jam, but I didn't get an answer either way from Rick. Unfortunately this happened quite recently and I finally had to draw a line under everything. Once again another possible target if I do another book. However one out of three wasn't a bad return.
I am going to see From The Jam play the Sound Effects album in Reading next weekend, this time minus my camera and as part of the audience proper. I am looking forward to it very much.
The current plan is for the Lives & Times book to be published on November 27th.
My mum was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012, and to read about this fundraising project click here.
Mum is currently enjoying a two week holiday on the Greek Islands with her great friend Anne. This is mum's first trip away since she her operation at the beginning of the year to remove a secondary bowel cancer nodule from her lung. The cancer coming back after mum being 18 months in remission was a big shock, but as ever she took it on board and faced up to her 4th major cancer operation with steely determination. She has once again bounced back amazingly well, and is back to full fitness and as bonkers as ever :)
The forthcoming Lives & Times book has taken me on a remarkable journey, but I never lose sight of the reason why I am doing this. Mum has been very fortunate in that the cancer was diagnosed early, and she has received fantastic treatment from the NHS. There are many others less fortunate who tragically haven't been able to beat this awful illness. For those people out there still literally fighting for their lives, please don't give up. You have family and friends supporting you all the way as well as the bowel cancer community out there at large, of which I am one tiny part. There is much still to do to raise awareness about bowel cancer, which if caught in the early stages can be treated successfully in many cases. I hope that the book will raise some funds for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity, but I also hope that in its own way it can help publicise and raise awareness about bowel cancer.
It's an exciting week as on Wednesday I am travelling up to the ITV Studios to meet and photograph Lorraine Kelly.
