Blacks Personal Shopping Trip

Last Thursday Rosemary’s Cruisers met up in Chelmsford with our Cancer Research UK representative at Blacks Outdoor Store to start getting our equipment for our Hadrians Wall Walk.

We met up with Paul Draper for a photo shoot and to discuss how our fundraising was going. Thank you for your continued support and advice Paul.

We were so lucky to have the team at Blacks supporting us by giving us a team discount and arranging for us to have a personal shopping experience on their late night shopping day. We would love to thank Peggy, Tom and Hannah for all of their help, advice and patience. Planning what equipment we would need for our  Hadrians Wall walk in May and for a trip to Peru in February proved difficult to know what equipment we would need for both. If you want to visit their website follow this link: Blacks

After having emptied our pockets we needed refreshments so we headed to A Canteen in Chelmsford. We had a delicious meal there and as always the service was absolutely brilliant. We discovered this restaurant when Dad and I were shopping for a suit for him for Mums funeral and we have always found the food to be perfect and no matter what mood we were in when we arrive we always leave feeling a little better. A great place to visit if you haven’t been there yet. If you do go make sure you try the Lamb Kofta Burger or the Pigs Pizza, oh and the Prosecco is very good too.

Whilst we were there we talked about training and logistics for the walk. Watch this space for lots of updates soon.

The day after our personal shopping trip was Black Friday and today is Giving Tuesday. So if you are feeling like giving please follow the link to our Just Giving page and donate to our fundraising for Cancer Reasearch UK in memory of my Mum who passed away in March from Ovarian Cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer! Fundraising at Tesco

My Dad and I are exhausted. We have just spent the last two days fundraising for Cancer Research at Tesco, Princes Road, Chelmsford where Mum used to work. We wanted to boost our fundraising and awareness for our Hadrian’s Wall Walk next year in aid of Cancer Research. Rosemary’s Cruisers were there on the 21st and 22nd of October timed perfectly to support Stand Up To Cancer.

It was humbling to meet so many people effected by cancer and so many cancer survivors. It made us appreciate even more just how important the work of Cancer Research is and how every penny we can raise to help fight this vile disease really does help to make a difference.

We split our time between walking on the treadmill and talking to people whilst we took donations. This was the first time my Dad had been on a treadmill so it was hard work for him. I am so proud of him for organising this and for every second he spent on that treadmill. After two days our legs are a little sore. We averaged about 18 miles a day.

We’d like to thank the staff at Tesco for enabling us to do this fundraising event and of course to thank the shoppers at Tesco who helped us raise so much money. It was also great to see so many of my Mum’s work colleagues and shoppers who remember her so fondly. Thank you for your support and coming to chat with us on the day. We are now on 75% of our target for the Hadrian’s Wall Walk in Memory of my Mum Rosemary Alexander.

We’ve still got a long way to go to our target so please support us by donating on our Just Giving page … Thank you.. Keep well and Stand Up To Cancer!!!

Walk for Life – Farleigh Hospice – Our First Hadrian’s Wall Training Event

When Mum was told that she would not be receiving chemo for the Ovarian Cancer and that she would be receiving palliative care it was her last wish to make it home for her final days.

When Mum was first diagnosed in January she had to cancel her long-awaited holiday on a cruise ship so she had asked that she could go home and have people visit her in holiday clothes where we could all talk about happier times and see the view from her garden stretching across Roxwell, Chelmsford and to Danbury. We spent quite a few days waiting for a palliative care package to be put together and were so scared that she would not make it home. Unfortunately most of the usual support networks didn’t have anyone free in the Chelmsford area as Mum was at Broomfield Hospital and the waiting list was long. We were desperate to get Mum home and give her the holiday at home that she we had promised her. The hospital ward arranged with the IT department to have a projector bought in to the room and have holiday images put up on to the hospital wall. We are so thankful for that very thoughtful and touching gesture. Everyone who visited had to wear their holiday best. Finally we heard that Mum would be going home and that Farleigh Hospice would be supporting her and providing the care that her and my family so greatly needed.

From the moment we got Mum home she seemed to release so much tension. The support we got from Farleigh hospice was invaluable and without them we would not have got Mum home. My family is so grateful for everything that they did. They do not normally provide at home care but they helped us fulfill my Mums final wish.

When Mum passed away both me and Dad wanted to do something to show our support to Farleigh Hospice. We had already decided we would do the Hadrian’s Wall walk for Cancer Research and wanted to do something in training for it and to support Farleigh Hospice. So when we heard that they were doing a 12k Walk For Life we signed up. Dad had never done anything like it before and hadn’t walked that far for a long time. I have Osteoarthritis in my Knees and both me and my Dad are diabetic. So we started training and building up to their event. Great training for Hadrian’s Wall.

 

 

We raised a total of £897.75 for them and completed the walk in great time. I was so proud of my Dad as this was his first fundraising event like this. It was a very emotional day and I was so proud to walk through the finish line holding his hand. I hope that the money we raised helps other families finding themselves in the situation that we did. Thank you Farleigh Hospice.

About Farleigh Hospice:

Farleigh Hospice aims to enable people affected by life limiting illnesses to live as positively and independently as possible. Our work is about supporting patients, their families and carers in a variety of ways. We offer a wide range of services which are all provided entirely free of charge and tailored to meet the individual needs of the patient, and their family.

Patients can call on our services at any stage of their illness and the bereaved can ask for help at any stage of their bereavement.

The majority of our care is provided inside patients’ own homes. Patients and relatives can dip in and out of our services as they need them – as our patients say, ‘help is always just a phone call away‘.

Illness can be stressful and isolating, both for the person themselves and their family. If you have been diagnosed with a life limiting illness, Farleigh Hospice can help. That help includes:

• Someone to talk to about how you are feeling
• Someone who can explain about your illness and treatments and answer any questions you may have
• Welfare Benefits Advice & Support
• Support and encouragement to live and enjoy your life as much as possible
• Referral to and liaison with other services you may need, for example, community nursing

Our services are tailored around each individual’s needs and aim to take into account any problems that might be encountered.  You might need support with symptoms, financial advice, equipment to enable you to cope at home or a chance to talk through any fears ~ whatever the problem we are here to help.

Farleigh Hospice Website

Sponsor us for our Hadrian’s Wall Walk on the 31st May 2017- 84 miles – our biggest challenge yet!