Tennis star to feature at Ripon Christmas Carol Concert by CandlelightBlack Dyke Band to give fundraising concert in RiponThe world-famous Black Dyke Band will provide a boost to fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support at Ripon Cathedral next week.
The band, which won the 2023 National Brass Band Championships at the Royal Albert Hall, has waived its fee for the concert on the evening of Thursday, May 2 and the money it would have received is being donated to the charity.
Wendy Richardson, co-organiser of the fundraiser with Canon Wendy Wilby, a member of the cathedral clergy whose composer husband Philip regularly writes pieces for the band, told the Stray Ferret:
“Tickets are going fast, but some are still available and we hope that it is a sell-out event as we bid to raise as much money as possible for Macmillan’s important work in the community supporting people with cancer and their families.”
The concert will include a performance of Procession to the Cathedral written by Philip Wilby.
Stalwart charity fundraiser Ms Richardson, whose brass band-loving husband David died of cancer in 2019, added:
“The incredibly warm-heated gesture of the Black Dyke Band, which has won the national championship for a record 24 times and is the most successful brass band in history, has given us a massive boost and we are also extremely grateful for the support that we have received from the cathedral and the local committee of Yorkshire Cancer Research.
“One of the highlights of the evening will be the band’s playing of Procession to the Cathedral, which has been specially composed by Philip Wilby.”
Professor Nick Childs, an award-winning band conductor, has chosen a wide and varied programme that will showcase the band’s brass soloists.
Tickets for the concert priced at £20 for adults or £5.00 for children are available from the cathedral shop or on line.
Main image: The multi-award winning Black Dyke Band has waived its fee for the charity concert. Picture: Black Dyke Band
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Ripon woman to climb Yorkshire three peaks to mark one-year ‘cancerversary’A Ripon woman is set to climb the Yorkshire three peaks this year to mark one year since her cancer diagnosis.
Loren Fidler, 31, was diagnosed with grade 3, stage 2, ER+HER2- breast cancer in May 2023.
Since that “world-shattering” day, Ms Fidler has undergone four surgeries on one breast, which ultimately led to a full mastectomy, and 14 rounds of chemotherapy.
She still requires another two more rounds of chemotherapy, as well as a bi-lateral mastectomy on her other breast.
However, she recently decided to make her “come back” exactly a year after her diagnosis by climbing the Yorkshire three peaks:
“It was a world-shattering day. I want this to be my come back a year later – a way of turning my cancer-versary around.”
Ms Fidler hopes to complete the 38.6km challenge in one day, but says she will “see how her body copes” during her training climbs.
She will be joined by her partner, who has carried her through this time, as well as her sister and her 10-year-old niece.
The mother-of-two told the Stray Ferret:
“Other than cancer (obviously), this will be the biggest challenge I have ever done.
“I’m nervous but I’m excited to see what my body can do.”
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Ms Fidler said she coped relatively well for the first six months, but added she “crashed and burned mentally” following her fourth surgery and has since faced an “uphill struggle”.
“I was quite naïve at first.
“I found the lump when I was in the shower, but I was ignorant about young cancer and had never checked my breast.
“I’d given birth a year before, so I was very lucky the doctor didn’t just attribute it to a blocked milk duct.
“After that, I sort of thought I’d just be able to have my surgery and go through chemo and that would be it – but it’s been a real mental struggle.”
Ms Fidler will tackle the three peaks in May and hopes to raise £5,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
She also hopes to host a raffle to boost the funds and invites any businesses that may be interested in donating prizes to contact her via her Instagram page.
She also issued a plea to Stray Ferret readers:
“Please check your breasts. Be your own hero – your own advocate.
“The sooner you find something the better, but these things don’t just go away because you’re scared.”
Charities benefit from Ripon Old Car Classic Gathering
Ripon Old Car Classic Gathering (ROCCG) has been back in gear raising much-needed funds for nine charities.
The principal beneficiary from the 2023 gathering at the city’s racecourse was Alzheimer’s Research, which received £5,000 from funds raised through entry fees.to the event, where a total of 700 classic cars, motorcycles, commercial vehicles and tractors were on display.
ROCCG chair Phill Greetham told the Stray Ferret:
“Our 28th annual gathering was held in late July and proved a great success. Over the years we have raised more than £200,000 for a broad range of charities.”
Some of the classic vehicles that were on display at Ripon Racecourse. Picture: Gary and Liz Smith Photography
He added:
“Profits from the event are shared between local groups and other good causes and each year our committee donates a large amount to one chosen charity, while smaller donations are made to a number of other deserving causes.”
In addition to Alzheimer’s Research, the other beneficiaries which received £150 apiece were: Guide Dogs, Vision Support, RNLI, Yorkshire Air Ambulance, Macmillan Cancer Support, Saint Michael’s Hospice, Dementia Forward and Fighting Ependymona.
The cheque presentation evening was held last week at Hazel House in Allhallowgate and each recipient gave a short talk on how the money would be spent by their respective organisation.
Harrogate cyclist forced to pause 1,000km charity rideA Harrogate man who planned to cycle 1,000km in under 48 hours has been forced to put the journey on hold due to poor weather.
Simon Gregory was fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of his aunt, who died of cancer in 2019.
Reverend Ruth Scott was a well-known vicar who regularly broadcast on BBC Radio’s Pause for Thought programme.
Simon set off from West Scotland on Friday and aimed to reach Winchester Cathedral by Sunday.
However, due to harsh weather conditions, the decision was made to pause the challenge 500km in.
By this point, Simon had endured 200 miles of headwinds and eight hours of torrential rain.
In a statement posted on his Instagram, he explained the decision:
“It’s not ideal or what I want to do, but I had used around 40% more calories than I anticipated which is more than I can physically absorb.
“This obviously affected how my body functions and how my heart functions.”
The cyclist said that he had a choice between finishing the ride in Winchester or “finishing the ride in hospital”.
The aim of the ride was to raise £25,000 which is enough to fund 101 days of care from Macmillan nurses. So far Simon has raised over £10,000 after weeks of collecting donations.
Michaela Ryder, from Macmillan said:
“We are immensely proud of Simon and whilst we are disappointed for him due to the bad weather, it was the right decision to pause his challenge at the midway point.
“Simon’s health and wellbeing is the utmost priority and we will remain right by him for when he resumes his challenge from the midway point in the near future.”
Simon plans to continue the cross-country journey after a few weeks’ rest and hopes to complete the next 500km of the ride from North Yorkshire in under 21 hours.
Find out more about the challenge or donate to his fundraising on his JustGiving page.
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Harrogate cyclist aiming to ride 1,000 km in 48 hoursA Harrogate business owner will be setting out on the challenge of a lifetime next week, inspired by the people who cared for his late aunt.
Simon Gregory is planning to ride 1,000 kilometres — more than 620 miles — in just 48 hours to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.
His aunt, Rev Ruth Scott, was cared for by a Macmillan nurse after being diagnosed with lymphoma until her death in 2019, aged 60.
Simon is no stranger to challenges, having completed a 288-mile ride in 24 hours in 2021 for the same cause. He told the Stray Ferret:
“The first one I did two years ago was 100% about Ruth. This one has been more about Ruth’s journey and a lot about the Macmillan nurse who supported Ruth and us.
“When I did the last ride, people were telling me stories about having cancer or losing people to cancer without that support that Macmillan provide. That just scared the life out of me. I want everyone to be able to get the support Ruth had and that we had.”
For this challenge, Simon will head to Ardnamurchan Point in west Scotland, from where he will set off next Friday at noon.
He will cycle the length of Britain, aiming to finish at Winchester Cathedral at noon on Sunday.
The aim of the ride is to raise £25,000 – enough to fund 101 days of care from Macmillan nurses, in tribute to the nurse who cared for Ruth.
The two ends of the route have particular significance to Ruth and her family, he said.
“Some of her ashes are scattered near where I’m starting. The Isle of Mull and Iona were her happy place – somewhere she went to rest and recharge. The rest of the ashes are interred at Winchester.”
Simon is completing the ride to raise funds for Macmillan nurses, who supported Rev Ruth Scott.
While the ride itself will be challenging enough, the training has also been gruelling.
Simon has spent long hours on his bike, setting out on rides of up to 20 hours from his home in Harrogate in recent weeks.
Early in his training, he got hypothermia after encountering a freezing hilltop on an otherwise warm day. Last year, he had two operations on his shoulder after shattering his collarbone when his bike slipped on black ice.
He said:
“I’ve had interesting things, like chains breaking and punctures. A couple of weekends ago I get sun stroke, which was fun.
“There have been hard times. I’ve got my nutrition wrong and ‘bonked’, which means there’s nothing left in the tank and I’ve had to lie in a ditch and eat stuff and wait until I could get going again.”
Support crew
Fitting all of the training and recovery around his job running a recruitment business with his wife, and spending time with their two young children, has been a challenge – but he says being busy has also helped to keep the nerves at bay.
He has also been given support from his business, Returners’ Tribe, Paria, Precision Fuel & Hydration, and Starling bar in Harrogate, whose founder, Simon Midgeley, will be part of the first support crew setting off with Simon to Scotland next Thursday.
As well as offering practical support in shifts en route, the support crews – made up of close friends and family – will keep him focused during the 48-hour challenge. Simon said:
“I think it’s going to be very emotional. It’s not just about me and Ruth – it’s the other people involved in the support team.
“I’m going to be carried by the names of other people: my sponsors have put loved ones’ names on the bike, people who have survived cancer or who have supported them through cancer. I’ve even got the name of a dog who’s survived cancer.
“There are 23 names on the bike. Having them with me is going to add to that emotion.
“48 hours is an awfully long time, so it’s going to be a whole range of emotions, a whole spectrum of emotions, some I won’t expect, some I am anticipating.”
To get ready for the event and boost his fundraising, Simon will be on his turbo trainer outside Marks and Spencer on Parliament Street in York tomorrow, collecting donations from shoppers.
To follow Simon’s progress on his Instagram page, click here. Find out more about the challenge and donate to his fundraising on his JustGiving page.
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Harrogate nephew of former broadcaster to cycle 1,000km in 48 hoursA Harrogate man is taking on an epic cycling challenge in memory of his late aunt.
Simon Gregory is set to cycle from North-West Scotland to Winchester Cathedral to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support, which cared for his aunt, Rev Ruth Scott.
He aims to complete the 1,000km route in less than 48hours, in the hope of raising £25,000.
At the time of aunt’s death in 2019, Simon was just taking up cycling and he said the sport helped him deal with his grief.
In 2021, Simon completed a 280-mile cycle from his hometown in Yorkshire to University Hospital in Southampton, raising £14,000 for Macmillan, before planning his next challenge.
The upcoming 1,000km ride, which Simon will complete in June, begins and ends at the locations where his aunt’s ashes are scattered and interred respectively.
Rev Scott was part of the BBC Radio 2 feature Pause for Thought, alongside Sir Terry Wogan and then Chris Evans.
Preparing for his challenge, Simon said:
“It’s to remember my aunty Ruth who battled T-cell lymphoma. She was an incredible lady who led the most remarkable of lives; as a circus clown, a midwife and then a priest.
“She touched thousands, maybe millions of lives in conflict resolution and as a broadcaster for 25 years on BBC Radio Two. She was an incredibly selfless lady who was my second mum. She was always there to support and guide me when I needed it.”
Simon hugs Ruth’s nurse, Mairead, after completing his previous fundraising challenge
As well as remembering his aunt, he also paid tributed to her nurse, Mairead:
“To think that somebody faced cancer without what Ruth had in her nurse, Mairead, just kept nagging at me. Mairead offered a huge amount of knowledge, support and understanding so we could deal with the situation much better.”
Simon’s £25,000 target would cover 101 days of Macmillan nursing.
You can donate £5 by texting ‘RUTH48’ to 70550 or visit Simon’s Just Giving page. People can also donate £33 – which funds one Macmillan nursing hour – and have a loved one’s name included on the bike to join Simon on his journey.
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Charity pays for two cancer nurses at Harrogate hospitalA charity has funded two cancer nurses at Harrogate District Hospital in response to fears not enough people can access specialist cancer care.
Macmillan Cancer Support announced today it had spent £214,000 on the two-year posts as part of a £4.5 million investment across Yorkshire and the north-east of England.
The funding will pay for 42 specialist cancer nurses in northern England, of whom two will be employed by Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust.
The development roles will see nurses with an interest in moving into cancer services step into specialist cancer roles.
Noreen Hawkshaw, the Macmillan lead cancer nurse at Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust, said:
“We’re facing incredibly challenging workforce issues at the moment and I know Harrogate is not unique with this.
“Undoubtedly the Macmillan investment into the two development roles will ease the pressure on the specialist cancer care we are able to provide for patients by creating more capacity.
Ms Hawkshaw added the investment would “allow nurses the time and space to develop into these specialist cancer nurse roles”, adding:
“We urgently need more of them to meet the rising demand on our services.”
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Macmillan said in a statement too many people in the north of England cannot access specialist cancer care and there are too few Macmillan cancer nurse specialists employed across the region.
It said a “crisis in cancer nursing” had left 630,000 people with cancer in the UK with a lack of dedicated support.
2,500 cancer nurses needed
The charity estimates an extra 2,500 specialist cancer nurses are required now.
Heather McLean, Macmillan’s head of partnerships for the north, said:
“Macmillan cancer nurse specialists are the people at the heart of cancer care, this unique role makes a huge difference to people diagnosed with cancer and their families at a very distressing time in their lives.
“There are currently a huge number of specialist cancer nurse vacancies across Yorkshire because it’s increasingly difficult to get people with the right knowledge and skills, who are ready to step into those specialist nursing posts.”
Rachel Moser, the interim programme manager with the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Cancer Alliance, which is hosting the programme in partnership with Macmillan, on behalf of the four cancer alliances across the north-east and Yorkshire region, said:
“Patients tell us how much they value cancer nurse specialists and the care and support they provide.
“I’m delighted to be leading this programme on behalf of the regional cancer alliances which will help us ensure we have a ready supply of skilled individuals for these crucial roles into the future.”
Cancer patients take to catwalk in Harrogate fundraiserCancer patients will take to the catwalk in Harrogate next week for a fundraising fashion show.
Harrogate woman Jean Williams and husband Alan have raised £100,000 for cancer charities since she had breast cancer 25 years ago. Ms Williams even took part in the 2018 New York marathon aged 71 to generate funds.
Now she has teamed up with West Park Hotel to stage the Strutting for Cancer fashion show for the first time since covid in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support on November 10.
The event will feature people who have been affected by cancer as well as professional models showcasing new collections from sponsors, including local fashion businesses Sheer Bliss lingerie, Smithers, Prey Four, Georgies and Aurélie, as well as high street retailer Marks & Spencer.
There will also be a charity auction, raffle and live music.
Ms Williams said:
“Having launched our inaugural Strutting for Cancer fashion show six years ago, it has proved to be a hugely popular event with local people as well as raising vital funds for this amazing charity.
“After missing two years due to the pandemic, we are thrilled that the show is returning and would like to thank West Park Hotel for providing such a fantastic venue as well as our generous sponsors for their support.
“Having had cancer twice myself, this is a cause close to my heart and I am excited to see the return of this event which we hope will once again raise thousands of pounds for Macmillan Cancer Support.”
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Jodie Middleton, events manager at West Park Hotel, said:
“The Strutting for Cancer fashion show has become a much-loved local event on the town’s social calendar, thanks to the efforts of Jean and her team. We are proud to be among the local businesses supporting it and look forward to hosting another fun and successful fundraising evening.”
Tickets cost £25 and can be bought from West Park Hotel, Sheer Bliss, Smithers and Georgies. Call 07557 196233 for more details.
Boroughbridge sunflower field opens in memory of BBC radio presenter Dom BusbyA business near Boroughbridge has planted a 15-acre field with sunflowers to try and raise £40,000 in memory of their friend and BBC radio presenter, Dom Busby, who died this year.
Mr Busby, who worked for BBC Sport and BBC Radio 5 Live, died in June four weeks after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour.
The owners of The Log Shed, near Boroughbridge, had been planning a fundraiser with Mr Busby shortly before he passed away.
Rachel Sowray, who was friends with Mr Busby and is also one of the managers of Log Shed, said he would have wanted them to continue to raise as much money as possible.
Ms Sowray said:
“We wanted to do something for charities after such a difficult year for them. Dom was heavily involved and was going to be front of house on it all. Now we are doing it in memory of him.
“The field looks amazing, I really can’t wait for more people to see it.”
Visitors can walk around the field and pick their own flowers. The entry fee is £6 per person and 50% of funds raised will go to the two charities nominated by Mr Busby’s mum: Macmillan Cancer Support and Saint Michael’s Hospice.
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The flowers are expected to be in full bloom by the end of the week. The field will then be open for the public to come and walk round for three to four weeks.
For more information on when the field is open, visit this Facebook page.
