Mike Read Features in The Lives & Times Bowel Cancer Charity Book

To see how you can purchase the Lives & Times book, which features a chapter on Mike Read click here. All proceeds I receive are being donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity with over £3000 raised since the book was published.

I met up with Mike at BBC Radio Berkshire back in 2015 after he kindly agreed to be in the Lives & Times book. He will always be the great nighttime Radio 1 DJ of the late 1970s who championed the new wave guitar music that I still love to this day. But Mike is also a writer, journalist and television presenter.

For the book we talked mainly about his time at Radio 1 and about a certain song by The Vapors, which I managed to get him to send to me under slightly false pretenses. In fact, as a result of our conversation I went on to meet Dave Fenton from The Vapors for the book a few days later. 

Mike has continued to be a great support for the book since our meeting. This particular photo was not one used in the book, but for the group on Facebook I am part of, Follow the bowel cancer tie..... help with its journey, which helps raise awareness about bowel cancer.

My Mum was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in 2012. She had a successful operation to remove the tumour from her bowel, but the cancer had also spread to her lungs. She had four further operations on her lungs over the next four years, but towards the end of 2015 the cancer also spread to her brain. In spite of having CyberKnife treatment her condition deteriorated, and her final brain seizure paralysed her down one side putting her in hospital. Sadly her condition became terminal and she peacefully ;passed away on August 29th, 2016, one week after her 80th birthday.

Bowel Cancer Fundraising Books Bundle Offer

Here is the first book bundle offer that I am selling on my website. If you purchase the paperback editions of Beating Bowel Cancer and Lives & Times together as a bundle package you pay £14.99 instead of £16.99 when bought separately, which is a saving of over 10%. This offer is exclusive to my website and you can see it here.

The fundraising total now stands at over £3100 through sales of the books and the wonderful screen print by Adam Green. All proceeds raised from sales are donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. My Mum passed away last August following a 4 year battle with bowel cancer.

The Beating Bowel Cancer Fundraising Book

The Beating Bowel Cancer book published in November 2012

All efforts over the last 18 months have been on promoting the Lives & Times fundraising book. I had to get out a copy of my first fundraising book, Beating Bowel Cancer, ready to post out to a friend. It was fascinating having a flick through, and look back on some of the photography in it. I am actually very proud of it. On a poignant note at the end of the book there is a epilogue, which was written just after Mum's bowel operation in September 2012. It's a happy and positive piece with Mum having beaten the cancer. There was, of course, no way of knowing how things would pan out over the following four years.

In April 2012 the dreaded cancer word came into our family. One minute I was sitting with my mother expecting a normal discharge from hospital, and then in the blink of an eye our world was turned upside down when we were told that mum had bowel cancer. She had been having trouble going to the toilet and was sent to Wexham Park Hospital for an endoscopy, and it was at that point we learned she had bowel cancer. Her treatment involved radiotherapy and chemotherapy to shrink the tumour, before a successful operation to remove it was performed in the September. Over the following 4 years Mum had a number of operations to remove nodules from her left lung, which was a secondary cancer from the bowel. Towards the end of 2015 the cancer also spread to her brain. In spite of undergoing Cyber Knife treatment and having half her left lung removed Mum's condition deteriorated, and she ended up in hospital last summer following a brain seizure. Sadly she could not win thjis battle and she passed away in the St. Marks Nursing Home on August 29th, 2016

The care and attention mum received from the NHS primarily at Wexham Park and Harefield Hospitals was first class. In fact it was while mum was undergoing treatment that I decided I wanted to do something to raise funds for a cancer charity and give something back. After the book came out it became obvious just how important it is to raise awareness about bowel cancer as well as funds. Unfortunately running a business on my own imposes restrictions as to what I could do, but the idea of writing a book seemed the perfect solution. I have been a keen amateur photographer for a few years and the idea I had was to write a book featuring photos on various subjects, ideas and technical approaches. Beating Bowel Cancer therefore is a charity book featuring a collection of photographs and the stories behind them to raise funds for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity. All proceeds are donated to the charity with this book raising over £500 to date.

The ebook version on Amazon costs £1.99 of which the £1.01 I earn will be donated to the charity. It is for the Kindle, but there are freely available Kindle reader apps for Ipads, Iphones and computers. From outside the UK please use Amazon.com to buy the book.

The physical book version is available on my own fundraising website for £7.00 with about £2.50 going to the charity. It is also available for £7.21 on Amazon with just over £1 going to the charity.

For anyone who has kindly bought the follow up book, Lives & Times, this first book gives a great insight into how that subsequent book came together.

There is also a bundle offer on my Bowel Cancer fundraising website to buy both books together saving over 10%  

Lives & Times Screen Print by Adam Green

Artist Adam Green has created the Lives & Times screen print to raise funds for Beating Bowel Cancer. The print sized 39cm x 49cm on 300gsm Somerset paper is limited to just 25 copies. This wonderful piece of art was done at Ochre Print Studio, who have very kindly donated all the materials Adam used ensuring that the whole of the purchase price is donated to the charity.

The print is on sale in the web store on my bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website or you can email me directly. Get your own piece of art for just £125 and raise funds for Beating Bowel Cancer. 

Adam's description, "The print I have produced has been inspired by Tim's book, Lives & Times. A book created to raise funds for Beating Bowel Cancer after Tim's Mum was diagnosed in 2012. I was really taken with the concept of what Tim was doing with his book, travelling the length and breadth of the UK to meet and photograph famous sportspeople, musicians, actors, DJs etc. The front cover of the book shows two silhouettes facing each other. I took this idea and developed my print with this in mind, thinking about the one to one interaction Tim had with many people in order to create his book. The print is made up of many different layers, each one possibly signifying the different stages in the journey that people follow once being diagnosed with cancer. I am very pleased to have produced this print for Tim and his charity. I really hope it brings joy and positive thoughts to all those who purchase one."

I was so glad to show Mum the finished print when she was Wexham Park Hospital shortly before she was transferred to the St. Marks Nursing Home in Maidenhead, where she passed away in August 2016. Bowel cancer takes 16,000 lives in the UK each year. It is the second highest cancer killer, but if detected early it is one of the most treatable in 90% of cases.

Gail Porter Features in the Lives & Times Bowel Cancer Charity Book

Gail Porter at Winter Wonderland 2014

Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park is like a home from home for Gail Porter. I think back to when Gail agreed to be photographed in December 2014 for the book it was the obvious choice of location to meet up. However it didn't turn out quite so simple as, unbelievably, we somehow missed each other. Thankfully we were able to try again the following week, and we eventually managed to meet up on what was a very cold and festive evening. I can't believe that this was over two years ago now.

Gail was really lovely and very enthusiastic in getting involved in the book. This photo also shows her wearing the Beating Bowel Cancer tie to help raise awareness about bowel cancer. The chapter makes reference to our ride on the "Ski Slope" where stupidly I hadn't realised what I was letting myself in for! Lets just say 360 degrees! 😱Of course meeting Gail was a brilliant photo opportunity, and how many people can count themselves lucky enough to have photographed the beautiful Gail Porter? In terms of the fun factor during the creation of the book this experience takes some beating. The good news is that Gail has also agreed to be in the next book, which will also be raising funds for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity.

My mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012. For four and a half years she fought many battles with the cancer spreading to her left lung and finally the brain. Sadly Mum passed away at the end of August after her brave and courageous fight. The book is now raising funds in her memory. If anything the whole point of doing the book has been even more reinforced by this devastating loss. Please support this fundraising book as every sale counts both in raising money and raising awareness about bowel cancer.

To see how you can purchase the Lives & Times book, which features a chapter on Gail Porter click here. All proceeds I receive are being donated to the Beating Bowel Cancer charity with over £3100 already raised. Also just added to my online fundraising store is a fantastic limited edition Lives & Times screen print created by artist Adam Green  inspired by the book.

World Book Day 2017 - Lives & Times Charity Book Has Raised Over £3000

Today is World Book Day 2017, 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. Since publication the book, along with a limited edition screen print by artist Adam Green, has raised over £3000.

I began the book in 2014 two years after my mother had been diagnosed with bowel cancer. She was in fact in remission as I began the book. However the cancer came back as I was doing the book, which was published in November 2015. Sadly my Mum lost her battle with cancer on August 29th, 2016 after a four year battle with this awful disease.

Mum

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.

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 £24.99 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 £9.99 which the £5 I receive will be donated to Beating Bowel Cancer. Only available to UK customers.
• Amazon. The book costs £9.99 of which the approx £2.00 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 £2.99 of which the approx £1.30 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 to arrange it.

I have been supporting Beating Bowel Cancer since 2012, and information about the charity and the work that is does can be found by clicking here.