Next Fundraising Target Is £4000

This month has seen the fundraising go past £3500, so the next milestone I am aiming towards is £4000. The support over the last two and a half years has been incredible, and even though the new book is a year or so away from being completed, I think that there is still plenty of scope for raising funds, most of which is done through sales on my own website www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk. The question is how can I go about raising the next £500? Here's how it could be achieved..

200 sales of the paperback edition of Lives & Times or 100 sales of the hardback.

4 copies of the limited edition silk screen print created and donated by Adam Green. I have one of these hanging on my wall, and it's superb.

200 Stop Bowel Cancer t-shirts - the latest edition to the online store, which are already selling well in a variety of colours, and only cost £8.

15 deluxe or 20 standard portrait photography sessions.

So onwards we go, and it might take a while, but with everyone's continued support I am sure we will get there. Bowel cancer is the second highest cancer killer in the UK with 16,000 people losing their lives to it each year. However, if diagnosed at an early stage, it can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases. Raising awareness about bowel cancer is key, as is increasing early detection rates. All proceeds raised from my fundraising are donated to Beating Bowel Cancer / Bowel Cancer UK. I have been fundraising for over 5 years now since my Mum had her first operation in 2012. Sadly she lost her battle with bowel cancer in 2016, but the fundraising continues in her memory.

Merry Christmas From Bowel Cancer Fundraising

A Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from the www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website. During 2016 the amount raised for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity has gone past £3000 and I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who has supported me and bought something. As well as friends and family, particular thanks is given to the bowel cancer community who have bought the book in large numbers. Another set of people I must also give special thanks to is fans of my favourite band, The Alarm, who have been incredibly supportive towards both me and the book. A special thanks to, Alarm fan, Tina Atkins who helped me sell the book at the Beating Bowel Cancer Patient Day in April. We had never met before, but she very kindly came along to help. These acts of kindness by people, of which there have been many, have combined to make the last few years incredibly rewarding and fulfilling, even in the face of Mum's health deteriorating.

Initially the website was set up to sell the Lives & Times fundraising book, and the paperback and hardback editions have sold well throughout the year. In the summer, Reigate artist, Adam Green produced a limited edition of 25 silk screen prints. These are still available on the website, and with every penny being donated to Beating Bowel Cancer from the selling price, they have made a great addition to the fundraising contributing about £1000 to the total raised so far.

Lives & Time Screen Print

Sadly 2016 saw my mother lose her 4 year battle with bowel cancer. She fought with great courage and dignity throughout and passed away peacefully on August 29th a week after celebrating her 80th birthday. I am sure Christmas will be a time of much happiness as it always has been in our family, though of course not without some sadness this time around, the first one without Mum.

Mum 22/08/1936 to 29/09/2016

2017 is going to see me continue work on the new fundraising book. No title yet and no completion date, but it is going to be based on similar lines to Lives & Times. With that in mind I feel the ending of this year is now the right time to scale down the promotion of Lives & Times and concentrate on the new book. I will continue to post new blogs here as and when there is something to say. But in the main the focus for 2017 is very much going to be one of looking forwards for me. This means that on both Facebook and Twitter I am going to have to come up with other things to say now! 😊

2016, sadly, also saw the passing of another person I photographed for Lives & Times. Singer and songwriter, Billy Franks, passed away in September. A wonderful musician, but more importantly a very kind and lovely man. 

Billy Franks at The Union Chapel, 2014

Please take a look at the shop on the website. I am currently offering free postage on all items, and I have reduced the price of Lives & Times as well. All proceeds raised from sales of everything are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity.