War on Cancer- First annual party night :)

War on Cancer's first annual party was a huge success! I'm not even talking about the money side here, I'm talking about all the new friends that were made on the night, the amazing amount of cancer awareness that was made...people asking questions, not afraid to mention "The big C", openly talking about the still taboo subject of cancer....this alone made the night worthwhile and I believe a major success! Thank you all for attending, lending your support to my cause and expressing interest in future events.....I couldn't ask for more than that :)

Thank you to each and everyone of you who bought raffle tickets and a massive congratulations to the winners!

Everyone enjoyed the night I think lol!.... we had fun and lots of it! A massive thank you to the DJ who donated his fee to WoC and for also donating a bottle of malt Whiskey to the raffle we ran on the night. We had three prizes that we sold tickets for on the night, first prize was a luxury food hamper, second prize was a beautiful fruit hamper which was donated by Giggly Sue and third prize was the bottle of malt Whiskey donated by the Dj.

The grand prize raffle was drawn, Peter W from Dantex Graphics won the First Prize of the 32" LCD TV, Second Prize was won by Carol Metcalfe from Home Care division of Bradford Metropolitan Council and Third Prize went to Lindsay Sessions from Drury Pms Ltd.

After all the prizes were bought we raised a total of £211.00! wow and thank you very much ! Have the party was a really nice way to finish our fundraising efforts for 2011. Please keep an eye out as War on Cancer will be back out organizing events so people can come join in the fun and help raise money alog the way. We will be holding our next meeting mid January and more information and details will follow :)

We have raised £1563.00 from four events we have held! this is going really well and I am really happy with our progress.

Check out the upcoming events page....I have updated it with some of the idea's we have come up with at the moment.

In the gallery, I am also going to load some photos from the shopping night...check out Louise's gorgeous cup-cakes!

I hope you enjoy the photos!

We will be looking at getting the shop back up and running over the Christmas period, don't worry I will let you know when it is lol!!

Until next time

Tracy

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

We have SOLDOUT on our first annual fundraising party night! Thank you to everyone who has bought a ticket...we are going to have a blast people!!. I am really proud to announce that demand outstripped supply....this is fantastic for future events!

We will be having a great fun night of fun and laughter.....folks I will apologize now for when I get on the dance floor to do my dance moves....it's not clever, it's not pretty and it's probably not all that safe...but hey I enjoy myself lol!!! Some of the food is going to be made and donated by Jeannie, Gillian,Caroline and Giggly Sue...thank you girls...I really appreciate it :) Tickets will be on sale on the night for a luxury food hamper and the grand prize draw for the 32" LCD TV,Dab radio and bottle of Champagne. Good luck to everyone who has bought a ticket :) And our very own Hero Dave who has volunteered to be waxed for donations....so come on folks be very generous for his pain!!

Everyday when I get up I think about the support I have from all of you who take time out of your lives to read my blog, share it on FB and retweet it out to help spread a positive message and raise awareness. Help organize events, turn up and join in the events, help sell the bands, raffle tickets....talk about War on Cancer with family,friends and colleagues,and last but certainly not least help raise awareness....and I feel so happy, proud and overwhelmed!

Thank you one and all....you will never understand how much it means to me, you all help me to achieve my dreams of helping others who have gone through, are going through or will go through cancer in the future. I as you know went through the invasive treatments and fully appreciate and understand how important the support of all the staff is, when having chemo...the staff in HODU become your family and the bonds you make with fellow patients and staff are strong. Even now when I go for a check up at the hospital... I love to go see all the wonderful nurses in HODU. I love that I can give something back and will continue to do my utmost in the future.

I have had on a personal level a year of ups and downs! It started off with all our training ( 5 months) for our Walk the Walk London Moonwalk...we Team L'Oreal ( Jeannie, Sue, Helen, Caroline and myself ) had a fantastic time, it's really hard to put into words how amazing a time we had. It's unbelievable to look out over what can only be described as a sea of pink as 15,000 people walk 26.2 miles all in the name of breast cancer! it was great to see so many guys doing it in their bras too! unlike Race for Life which is a women only event( which I don't agree with...guys get breast cancer too!) it's also the fact they can do it in support of a loved one. It was worth all the training.

About 10 miles in I became very unwell with various things, I had felt light headed and nearly passed out a couple of times I had a pounding headache, pains in my neck,lower back and pelvic pains. I was bloating up and I had had problems with my ankle supports ( I had to take them off ), I knew this was going to cause me problems with my right ankle....since I ruptured it back in 06 I have had occasional issues, but knew it was going to be painful with walking the 26.2 miles, hell it was painful even with the support on during the training. I have to say London like all big cities is not a good place when you are wanting to be sick there are not many tree's to be found!

When we got to the 22 mile marker I was most definitely running on pure determination and my stubbornness! every mile from there I had to stop about 4 times to try and ease the pain in my back, I was really fatigued and had the mother of all blisters on my foot too! But even though I was in all honesty in a right state, I knew no matter what I was going to complete the Moonwalk...it was afterall the first challenge I had set myself while still having my chemo. I would seriously have crawled over the finish line if needed!

It was overwhelming to cross the line holding hands with Jeannie and Sue..yep we had done it! This was a massive high...even though I had been so unwell for the majority, I was over the moon at completing my first personal challenge.....the fact my partner and friends wanted to do it with me made it all the better! It's a memory I will always cherish.

It took me over a month to recover from the Moonwalk but was definitely worth it....Team L'Oreal raised over £1000.00 doing this most worthy event.

The second challenge I had set myself was to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro for cancer...I decided 2012 was the year...I have said for every year I get the ok at my check ups at the breast clinic I will do a new challenge.

This is where War on Cancer was born. I decided if I was going to climb Mt.Kilimanjaro as my personal challenge...then I might as well try to raise money for cancer charities at the same time. I chose Walk the Walk breast cancer and Clic Sargent children's cancer charities this time.So up to the actual climb in 2012 I said we will do various fund raising events to raise money for these very worthy charities, have fun along the way and involve as many people as possible, it's not just about raising money but also awareness. My aim has always been to show that you can live a full and challenging life whilst surviving cancer...maybe you have to adjust some of your goals, but life is for living, not just surviving! A target of raising £10,000 has been set and I am confident we will make it!

On my health side it hasn't been the best of times in the last 18 months. I have had many problems with lower pelvic and back pains. When I had my 6 month check up at the breast clinic in March, it was agreed that I would change my cancer drug from Tamoxifen to Letrozole because of the side effects I had been suffering from for the last 13 months, I felt they were that bad it was affecting my quality of life and I really couldn't face another 4 years of it. I didn't know until I got an appointment through that I had to have a DEXA scan, this is a scan to measure your bone density, Letrozole causes amongst other problems Osteoporosis. So my logic behind this scan was that I would go have it done and that would give my doctors the base data to check against future scans to determine over the next few years if the Letrozole did indeed affect my bone density. A decent logic I thought!

My GP phoned me 3 weeks later to tell me to go in to see them. The results had come back and I had already got Osteoporosis! to say I was shocked is a massive understatement! I said to the doctor, are you sure the results are right? am I not too young to have Osteo?...yes I was not very informed about Osteoporosis at all...the only thing I knew was that it can cause your bones to break easily.....I really thought it was an illness that affected older people. I asked my doctor if it was just starting and she said no, it's full blown.

I had by the time we hit June had had 7 lots of antibiotics this year due to bladder infections, I had a laparoscopy in May as they couldn't say what was causing my pelvic and lower back pains.... the good news from the laparoscopy was that there were no signs of ovarian cancer :) This was great news but didn't solve the problems about my pelvic and back pains. I was referred to a consultant and was then sent for further tests.The tests confirmed I have a problem that has developed with my bladder so now on medication, I will see my consultant in January to see if medication levels need adjusting, he said he will try and keep the side effects to a minimum!

When I have just had my second check up of the year at the breast clinic we talked about the sore and stiff joints I have and a general bone ache the pain in my lower back never eases off these days, it bothers me whether I am sitting, standing or walking....he has contacted my GP to arrange a referral to a Rhuematologist, he doesn't think it's my cancer drug ( it's one of the side effects ) but needs checking out by a specialist. ( I really don't care who looks into it, I would love the pain in my back to go...even if it was just for a week or two! ). My GP ordered a load of blood tests which I had done last week, I go for the results on Wednesday and then await my referral.

But the great thing in between all of this is the fact we have held a few events and so far raised £1352.00! next year War on Cancer will be going all out to achieve that target. I have already started thinking about my challenge for 2013.....these things need plenty of planning! I know I want to do something in the USA.....

Thank you all for showing your support, I will be looking into whether to register War on Cancer as it's own charity early next year... I will keep you all informed.

War on Cancer I believe sums up who I am and what my life is about it is a great personal motivator as are the challenges I set myself. I hope you carry on enjoying the events we do, it is afterall about having lots of fun too!

Everyday I get up and smile, after been diagnosed with a life threatening illness I believe everyday is a bonus and I plan to make the most. I will try and knock things off my bucket list and will continue to raise money not just for research but to help make people feel as comfortable as possible whilst going through their treatments.

Thank you all for helping me realize my dream of doing this, you will never understand how much it means.

Until next time

Tracy x

Happy Friday to one and all!

Hello everyone on this Friday the weekend starts now!

It's been a while since I last blogged, I owe some photo's still from the shopping event...I will put some up soon ;)

We are almost ready for our first annual fundraising bash!...the venue, DJ and waxer all confirmed hee hee!. I went and met up with Dave at the club Tuesday night to finalize details. The food is in hand as is the tombola and luxury food hamper. It is going to be a great night of fun! hopefully WoC will raise loads of money on the night.

The grand prize draw will take place on the night around 10pm...this give people time to still buy raffle tickets if they wish to. We will be raffling off the luxury food hamper on the night too. Thank you so much to the brave ( or nutty!! ) gents who are offering themselves up to be waxed for cash...so come on folks on the night or through electronic donation before hand throw some money down and rip off a strip in the name of charity!..anyone who donates on line we will photograph the moment the strip you have bought is pulled off for you and will list it in the first blog after the night! Photo's will be added to the gallery after.

The glow in the dark bands will be on offer and T shirts can be ordered on the night too.

I want to take this time to thank the individuals who have taken a moment to sign up and follow my blog...you will never know who much it means to me,the show of support is great and thank you also to my faithful friends who share the blog on the network sites after I post.

Thanks go to all who have helped out in the events we have held this year and especially all of you who joined in the fun. As I keep saying, it's not just important to raise money...awareness is really critical too. The message I am trying to get out there is for the people who are currently having their invasive treatments and to those who have yet to be diagnosed.....hang in there, it's not the best approx 9 month's of your life...but life is there for the taking after! please remember that...you can still challenge yourselves and do the things you want to... every day is a wonderful bonus and everything you achieve is a true measure of you as an individual. Get yourselves a bucket list and start knocking them off :)

Next year we are hoping to have loads of really fun things going on to make sure everyone enjoys themselves while helping WoC reach it's fund raising targets, even in these very tough times we are all living in, remember other are having an even worse time than you.

For me on the personal front it's been a bit of a rough couple of months. My consultant has put me on some tablets to try and sort out the problem with my bladder...yep yet more tablets ( 9 per day now ) He said they take a while to work as they have to reach a level in my system...yes there will be side effects and they will try to control them as much as they can. I go back to see him in Jan for a follow up, he said they will check me out and either increase or reduce the medication if the level is wrong. I don't know if this is a permanent thing with the med or if I can come off it at a later date. I have had some bloods done this week and will see my GP for the results the week after and a referral is being sorted to see a Rheumatologist . I don't know if the problem with my bones and joints is because of my cancer drug or the Osteoporosis, I guess time will tell.

Been to a great couple of concerts in the last couple of months, Jessie J in Oct was fantastic, interacted with the crowd really well, great live singer, great sense of fun and was never afraid to take the mickey out of herself....seriously if you get the chance....go see her! And in Nov it was Rihanna! fantastic show, great live singer but her interaction with the crowd was minimal which was a shame. All in all, good times were had by all :)

Ok, until next time

Stay safe and happy

Tracy

Ideas for future events and fundraising jobs

Hello everyone

Thought as we are coming up towards War on Cancer's last event for 2011 I would let you know about some of the ideas we are thinking of to keep our drive for fundraising going.

But before I do, I was donated from a good friend in the USA some old French Francs, there are a couple of places in Europe where they can still be exchanged until Jan 2012. So with this in mind, I ask that you check if you have any odd old European notes knocking around your house, it would be fantastic if you could maybe consider donating them and I can hopefully get them exchanged into hard cash for our War against Cancer. Thank you for considering this :)

Ok, some future ideas we have maybe in the pipeline for 2012.

1.The Yorkshire 3 peak sponsored challenge for War on Cancer, if this happens and goes well, this will hopefully become an annual event. This walk is around 24/25 miles in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales, this is a beautifully scenic area and will be a great challenge to complete. This event will carry an entry fee, details of what you get for that will follow if the event takes place.

2. An Easter Bunny walk/run...this will be a sponsored fancy dress event.

3.Packing shopping bags at the supermarket. Dates will be posted for which supermarket on what date later, volunteers more than welcome to help at these events.

4.Treasure hunt

5.Team Rounders fun day.

6. Charity car wash.

7. Soul/Motown night - this will be a ticketed event

8. A phoenix nights talent night----this will be a fun evening for sure!

9. A race night.

These are just some of the things we are looking into.

I just want to take the opportunity to say that I am very serious about the fundraising and after the Mount. Kilimanjaro climb--War on Cancer will carry on thinking of fun ways to raise money and have people join in!

Until next time

Tracy

Dodgy Thursday

When I started this blog and sat to write about myself I had to decide what or how much I was going to say. I figured if I was going to try not only raise money but more importantly awareness then I had to be honest about what had gone on with me and be honest about the here and now too. The one thing I didn't want was for the blog to come over with a negative vibe, because I honestly aren't a negative person ( ask anyone who knows me), but like everyone else I have my dodgy days too......today is one of those days, whether it's because I'm still not really very well and feeling run down that I'm not feeling good about myself I'm honestly not sure.

It's really weird you know, when I found the lump in my breast and the hospital told me it was 99% certain to be cancer but I had to go back the following week for the biopsy results from the pathology lab I didn't freak out or panic, at that point I knew the following week it would be positive,and there was no way they would have said that to me really if there was a chance it was nothing, I knew that too. It's hard to explain but I honestly felt calm ( but in fairness I'm like that with everything ), I walked out of the hospital and decided when I got home I was going to confirm for myself that the insurance policy I had insisted in taking out the year before would indeed pay the mortgage off ( one less financial worry to think about ). Getting confirmation, having surgery, chemo and then radiation therapy was fine...I'm not saying I wasn't ill because I was, but on a mental and emotional level I was fine and found myself calming everyone around me down with honesty and humour.

This is why even though I know there is nothing more I can possibly be doing to try and keep myself healthy ( which is such a battle as I find myself getting diagnosed with more things, having investigations done and struggling with many side effects form the drugs I am on, a cascade from my cancer diagnosis my doctors say ) I find myself at times ( like today ) unable to brush off my upset and frustration at my weight gain! it's so pathetic really in the scheme of things, but no matter how I try to rationalize that I am in fact alive and surviving a life threatening illness I cannot stop myself from feeling so utterly down and fed up about my lack of control over my weight. I never really felt before how feeling uncomfortable about yourself could have such a profound effect on your life, I had never experienced that. When I have spoken with my GP about this issue, I am told ( and it is more than a fair point ) that I am surviving a vicious illness of which the drug are even worse with really nasty side effects..... but I am surviving. So I ask myself, am I that vain about my outer shell and it not been as it was that I whine about it and that I need to get a grip or is it about not only surviving a vicious illness but also about a balance in my life that makes it so I can actually really enjoy "surviving". I have found myself asking this question on more than one occasion and I have not found an answer I can live with yet. I of course don't want to stop drugs no matter how harsh they are if they give me a better chance of survival...I'm really not stupid, however it's really hard when the results make me sad sometimes.

I also know within a day or two I will have moved past my "dodgy" day and will be off positively telling anyone who is willing to listen that life after or while surviving cancer can be more than fulfilling, especially when doing things for others :)

Rant over for today hee hee

Until next time

Tracy

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I apologize for the delay in an update, it isn't going to be a full one, I will put photos in the gallery later this week. I have been out of action properly since last Thursday's shopping night, whatever is going around is terrible! I am feeling the best I have for over a week, today I am headache free fro the first time, my throat isn't as sore and I only have earache in one ear instead of two! Success....I'm on my way back lol!!

The Ladies shopping night was a great success and was a lovely chilled evening. I want to start by thanking Jo and the Ferrands Arms for hosting the shopping evening for War on Cancer, you are a great friend of War on Cancer and I thank you very much!

To all the stall holders who not only gave up their evening, but also gave a generous donation to War on Cancer I thank you all very much and hope you not only sold many things but also had an enjoyable evening.

To everyone who came by, I hope you had a great time, got yourselves a bargain and thank you for supporting War on Cancer too!

Lou's Sweet Treats......I can honestly say I have never seen such beautiful cupcakes! I kept thinking they are so nice, not sure I could eat them!!

The Ladies shopping evening raised a wonderful £370.00! It has been added to the thermometer total. We will be offering to pack bags at various supermarkets in the area, when we have confirmed dates, I will update the events page.

Our next event is our first annual War on Cancer get together on Dec 10th at the Shipley Club from 7.00pm until late. There are just a few tickets remaining, so if you want to come join in on a chilled fun evening with music and food. The grand prize raffle will be drawn this night, also there will be a chance of winning a luxury food hamper on the night! Hope to see you there.

I will load the photos later this week

Until then

Tracy

Happy Sunday

Hello everyone

Don't forget to come join us this coming Thursday....that's Oct 27th at the Ferrands Arms from 7.30pm upstairs. There will be many stalls selling different products for ladies to be able to pamper themselves, or to be pampered with!

Bargains galore for yourselves or a loved one, maybe a Christmas present, your nails done, some eyelashes? home-made jewellery, a cup cake or too! but to give a taster of some of the stalls. The stall holders are generously donating to War on Cancer....so the more of you who come take advantage, the more WoC will get donated!!

I hurt my wrist about 3 weeks ago doing something of nothing in the garden. I went to A & E this Saturday as the pain has not eased off that much over the weeks,it turns out it is in fact broken! I am in a temporary cast until next Friday when I will be put into a proper cast. Can't see me been in the cast that long as by next Friday it will be around 4 weeks since I broke it. I however know it takes longer to heal with Osteoporosis, so I guess I will have to wait and see.

Again I hope Ladies you can make it on Thursday, it is a night everyone comes away a winner!

Until next time

Tracy

All well in Cottingley

Hello everyone, I hope your day is going well.

I had the klingon ( cyst ) removed from my eyelid last Wednesday and it's fully healed now :). My sister Caroline drove me and on the way I was saying to her that I probably could have driven myself....after the doc had put the patch on I was grasping at fresh air when trying to get my antibiotic cream! I made it out of the room but partially walked into the door frame going into the waiting room! my sister and the other patients were giggling when she announced that I thought I would be ok driving!!

I hope anybody local wanting something to pamper themselves or wanting a present a little special for a loved one will join War on Cancer upstairs at the Ferrands Arms on Thursday Oct 27th from 7.30pm. There will be some really good stalls and bargains galore to be had. Even little War on Cancer will have a little space...we will be selling the Grand prize raffle tickets, the glow in the dark silicone bands and of course our T-shirts!

There will be hand-made jewellery, fabulous cup cakes, Temple Spa, Divine Accessories, Virgin Vie...to name but a few. Ladies it will be a wonderful chilled atmosphere, come have a look yourself.Remember You are worth it!

There are a few tickets left for the Dec 12th do, if you want to come and have fun, let me know before the tickets all go!

I don't have a date for the blog store to be back up and running, but never fear I will let you know!!

For now

Tracy

Hello Ladies!! fancy pampering yourself? need a special gift for someone for Xmas? come down and check out the wonderful products available for you to buy! here are some of the vendors that will be there on the night, there will be more including a little stall for yes War on Cancer. Check out the poster above!

Thursday October 27th at the Ferrands Arms from 7.30 pm. I hope ladies to see you there, it will be a fun relaxing evening with plenty of bargains to be had...remember ladies You are worth it!

Flyers for the Ladies night!

Hello everyone, Friday has finally arrived. I hope you all have a great weekend :)

The flyers for our Ladies night at the Ferrands Arms will be printed soon. Remember ladies, if you are fancying something to pamper yourself because let's face it....You're worth it! this could be the night for you! Maybe you are looking for that something special for a friend or loved one for their birthday or Xmas....again this could be the place for you! The evening starts at 7.30pm until late upstairs in the Ferrands on October 27th. War on Cancer will also have a little area for the selling of the silicone bands, grand prize draw raffle tickets and also a chance to order yourself a t-shirt! I hope to see you there!

The tickets for Sat Dec 10th ( yay got it right!! ) are selling well with over a third sold in a couple of days! This is going to be a fun, chilled night and if you are fancying good fun and good company, come join us at the Shipley club!. Order tickets early to avoid disappointment!

The raffle tickets are selling well too, if you haven't got your's but want some, contact me and we will sort it out...you can also sell some to your friends, family and work colleagues, give them a chance of winning a great prize just before Xmas!!

Until next time !

Tracy

Store closed temporarily.

Hello everyone

I have closed the store temporarily, this is due to excessive running costs. The fees charged by eBay would be fine if it was running as a proper business, however because War on Cancer is fundraising....I cannot in all good conscience pay them.

So shortly we will have a new method for you to be able to purchase from the store. It will still by through Paypal, so everyone knows their money is secure. Hopefully it will be easier and quicker to view all the designs ( I know it will be less work for me, took forever to load onto eBay lol).

When the shop re-opens....not only will Men's and Women's sizes be available, you will be able to order children's sizes too. On multiple orders postage for second and more purchases will be reduced. A few additions will be added to the range too! Keep you eye out for the mouse mats, key-rings and cotton shopping bags! War on Cancer is expanding!!

After the next couple of event details are sorted I am going to be looking into the requirements to make War on Cancer a registered charity. I think ultimately this is where I want to take it and that it will reflect on how serious I am about raising awareness and money for a disease that effects so very many of us, whether it's someone you know or yourself, most of us know of someone.

I must say the Xmas raffle draw tickets are selling well! and if you still want some, just let me know!

The tickets for the first annual fundraising evening are selling well and if you want to come join the fun, don't leave it too long or you may be disappointed!

Ok for now, will keep you updated about the store

Tracy

A happy Tuesday to you all!

Wow, where to begin, it's been a strange few days that's for sure lol!

First of all the Race evening never happened on Saturday gone, it was such a beautiful day that everyone took off after the rugby match to make the most of what was a hot and glorious day. Afterall it was Oct 1st and we know we aren't likely to see many more days like that this year. It in actual fact ended up been a good thing as what I first thought was a stress headache ( I was really nervous about this first Race event ) turned out not to be. I was repeatedly throwing up, my headache was raging and two of my very good friends took myself and Jeannie home. Thank you Sue giggly geek and the lovely Daz too!

So health wise, it's not been a great few days for me, but on the other hand it's been a smashing few days for War on Cancer! here's what's been happening in the background.

Firstly the Charity car wash is to be delayed until further notice as I have some red tape stuff to sort out ( at least now I know what has to be done to get permission to hold the car wash on council owned property )

Onto the good stuff now :)

The Big Xmas prize raffle has been launched, tickets are on sale and available for anywhere in the UK......so if you live outside of Yorkshire, please don't worry, contact me and I will sort it out..War on Cancer will post prizes anywhere on the mainland. Tickets are only £1.00 each and I wish everyone who buys a ticket the best of luck. This raffle will be drawn on Sat Dec 10th and prizes posted out straight after the weekend!

We have sorted out a limited number ticketed event to take place at the Shipley Club on Sat Dec 10th. There are only 60 tickets available for this event so if you are wanting a chilled fun night with food and a DJ to rock our night away, please get in touch quickly. There will be a luxury Xmas food hamper raffled on the night along with a Tombola. Dave is going to wax for cash!...ouch my friend, but WOC thanks you for this...I will have a pint and a pack of tissues ready for you by the bar!!....fancy ripping a strip off?...get saving your pennies for it!!

On the upcoming events page, you will see there is a show of what will be coming up over the following months, I hope you have a look and maybe you'll see something you fancy doing with us!

There are a million and one details to check out for this one....but one of the big War on Cancer events next year ( aside from actually climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro ) is a possible National Three Peak sponsored challenge! this event will carry an entry fee, details will follow...but if you think you are up to the challenge and will put in the proper amount of training, this could be the event for you. Through all the hard work, sweat and in some cases the tears, undoubtedly this is for many a once in a lifetime challenge that will stay in your heart forever. Whenever an endurance event is completed there are no words to describe that moment you cross the finish line, Me and my fellow Team L'Oreal London Moonwalk gals can attest to that having completed 26.2 miles through the night this May. This really is an event you will never tire of talking about! Please seriously consider it....if nothing else, it will help you get fitter and help loose the extra pounds we all gain over the Xmas period.

I am hoping this event is well received as I would seriously like to consider this for an annual event.

I have added another £16.00 to the total thermometer for some more sponsor money been handed in for the 3 legged. Still some to come in.I will keep adding it and informing you until I have the final figure.

The Ladies only night at the Ferrands will take place on Thurs Oct 27 th as we've mentioned before. War on Cancer will have a tiny space on the night selling the silicone bands, raffle tickets and a small selection of our t-shirts. I will also have a file with the various designs in....anyone who orders on the night will get free postage :)

Joanne and the Ferrands Arms, thank you for organizing the Ladies night,I am very grateful to you!!

Until next time ciao

Tracy

The start of another week!

Good morning everyone, I hope each and everyone of you have a great week.

I want to say I have altered the layout of the supporters page, please check it out and see who is supporting us! I have also at the bottom of the events page put a breakdown of what each event has raised....again please check this out.

I have also changed the total thermometer....to date ( still money to be collected in ) the 3 legged fancy dress pub crawl has raised a whopping £530.00!...yes folks and like I say still money to be collected..woohoo! I thank everyone who was game and took part, and I thank those who sponsored and a big thank you to those who gave generously around Bingley town centre on the night.

This takes the running total to £966.00 so far...a massive achievement from our first two events!

Because I have changed the layout of the supporters page, I will give big thank you's to one and all, your support means the world to this cause!

If you are wanting one of our special glow in the dark bands, they can be purchased from various locations...

Shipley at Doris's Sagars pet shop.....buy a band and a bunny at the same time!

Bingley at the Ferrands Arms..... a band and a pint...easy order to remember lol!

Steeton at Hodu in Airedale Hospital....if you buy from here...I hope your visit is nothing serious!

Plymouth at my sister-in-laws shop- Clayart....more of a drive, but hey if your down in beautiful Plymouth...get yourselves down to the Hoe....visit the Plymouth Gin Museum and get into Clayart, buy a band and design your own pottery....a must if you're there...highly recommended! -- that's the shop and the Gin by the way ;)

Also...you can purchase a band through the shop on this blog...it will take you through to War on Cancer shop in eBay.

I have a massive thank you and shout-out to Giftwaves for their generous donation for our raffles!... check out the shop on eBay....highly recommended!...Thank you Yoges, very kind of you :)

Most of today and various times over the week will be taken up making the Xmas raffle tickets... again if you want some, think you can sell them to your family, friends and work colleagues...pls contact me and I will arrange to get some to you....there are great prizes to be won and tickets are £1.00 per raffle....we can ship anywhere in the UK.....I'm sorry but this is not open to overseas friends :( I will post a list of participating shops/ pubs where tickets will also be available in the next week or two.

REMEMBER...TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE RIGHT UP TO DEC 9TH.....DRAW WILL TAKE PLACE ON DEC 10TH.

I will update again this week....lots of exciting things coming up...again I thank you for supporting and reading what we are up to. Please as always share with your friends.....it's not just about raising money as important as that it....it as especially important to raise awareness of cancer and surviving it positively :)

Until next time as always

Tracy

Happy Wednesday!

Hello everyone, hope you are all doing well!

Didn't get to meet with Dave and his dad on Monday gone, wasn't at my best, was feeling very fatigued, had been at it most of the day....so with that in mind, we will be re-arranging our meeting, I'm really confident we will be sorting some fun nights at the club, which will be mutually beneficial.

Went to the Bradford & Bingley Rugby Club today to discuss running a race evening. We have agreed to start on Sat Oct 1st. This will be a trial run to see if the race evening works for all of us. We will be kicking off around 5pm for those thinking of coming down for some fun entertainment. Depending how this goes, this could be a weekly event, or possibly a fortnightly thing....it's one of those " suck it and see" kind of events. But potentially this could be a nice steady fundraiser over the coming year.

I have not yet been able to confirm whether we can use the council owned car-park next to the Ferrands Arms....but hope to get an answer by early next week. We are still looking at Oct 9th for our charity car wash event at this time.

The Xmas raffle extravaganza tickets are getting printed as we speak!.. the draw will take place on Sat Dec 12th..the prizes are....First...32"LCD TV, Second...Dab Radio and Third....A bottle of champagne!.....nice pick up just before Xmas for the winners I think!.....so anyone who thinks they can sell some to family and work colleagues don't hesitate to contact me and I'll get some posted to you! Tickets will be £1.00 each....good luck to everyone who takes part!!

We have some confirmations for our Ladies only event night at the Ferrands Arms on Oct 27th. They are as follows Ladies....

Temple Spa

Virgin Vie

Bobby's Minx

Usbourne Books and Divine Accessories

To confirm by Sept 30th are.....

Phoenix Cards

UV Angels

Fancy Favours

Jamie at Home

Sophie Kelly Crafts

Angels and Nightingales

Get the date in your diary ladies, it's going to be a great night and you can bag yourselves a bargain as well!

We have more ideas that we are mulling over, if and when they come to fruition, I will post up on the events page...I will post more details of some of the future ideas we have and I would very much appreciate some feedback as to whether you think they will be a success, not just on the fundraising side...but also the fun/achievement side.

Thank you for taking time to read, it is always appreciated!

Until next time!

Tracy

Hello everyone :)

Hello everyone

I have some information about future events and possibilities, so here goes......

Yesterday ( 14th Sept ) I saw Joanne at the Ferrands Arms...she has confirmed that all details for our Ladies only event night on Thursday October 27th will be finalized by September 30th. So I will update War on Cancer, flyers will be put out and ladies, get yourselves down and bag a bargain for yourselves.....you know you're worth it!!

Monday night I am meeting up with Dave "hero" Slater and his dad to discuss opportunities for both War on Cancer and the club Dave's dad is vice-chairman at. They have graciously said we can hold a race night and possibly other events there....we are looking at running "Spot the ball" cards there too....details after our fundraising meeting.

Tuesday I am meeting the events manager of the Bradford and Bingley Rugby Club to discuss running the "Race night" on a Thursday & Saturday weekly...this is a very exciting opportunity to have a steady, regular fundraiser...hopefully will generate some good funds over the next 12 months!

The Ferrands Arms ( rapidly becoming a champion for War on Cancer ) have generously agreed to allow us to use their water for a charity car wash...Tomorrow I am going to see who I have to get permission off at the council to utilise a council owned car park. I already have volunteers agreeing to help with the wash...we will have music going, lots of fun & laughter and hopefully loads of satisfied customers!, come down and see us...have a drink with us after in the Ferrands Arms :)....if I get the green light, will be looking at running this within the next few weeks....again will post on events page when confirmed.

We are going to be looking into setting up a treasure hunt in and around Bingley as well....now don't be getting stuck in the old stocks now!!!....info to follow at a later date :).

And finally for now.....The first War on Cancer raffle tickets will be on sale shortly...it will be drawn on Sat December 12th...location to be confirmed....First prize will be a 32" LCD TV!!!! details of other prizes to follow later.... tickets will be on sale at £1.00 each, if you would like to give your work colleagues a chance of winning too, ask and I'll get some tickets to you....this is a great opportunity to grab a nice prize just before Christmas...so to those of you who buy a ticket....I wish you good luck :)

Ok, I will update as details become available.

Stay safe friends

Tracy

A moment to reflect on that the most atrocious of days.

Hello everyone.

Before I launch into the goings on of War on Cancer, I want to send my thoughts to all the innocent lives that were lost on this the most atrocious of days 10 years ago. 9/11 victims will never be forgotten and my heart goes to all the victims families as they try to carry on in some semblance of normalcy, which of course will never truly happen. 9/11 has affected a generation of people. I think through all the actions that have taken place in the last 10 years, we the majority have showed we will not give into acts of terror, the terrible loss of innocent people pulled us together and united we still stand.

Wow seems like I will have some very exciting news this week! I am going to phone the events manager of the Bradford & Bingley Rugby Club to organize for War on Cancer to hold race events. The club it seems are looking at a Thursday and Saturday on a weekly basis!! this over the next 12 months will be a good money fundraiser! this will be mutually beneficial for both WOC and the club. I will be totally honest....I am very excited at the prospect, but scared at the same time!! I will post event details after meeting and agreeing details this week...Hoping to sort it out Mon/Tues, with a view to starting Thursday this week. Happy times :) Come down, have a drink and join the fun!

Ok..... what have we got in the pipeline.....

Planning to hold a car boot next Sunday with items donated by you good folks. Anytime any of you have things you want rid of, just let me know and I will take it off your hands for a raffle or car boot. Will be looking at probably once a month for the car boots.

Going to see if I can sort out permission to use a council owed car park, if they say yes I need to sort out if we can get the charity car wash organized, will run off flyers and put them on car windscreens in the area to advertise the event....I already have some volunteers to help with the actual car wash!....will be great fun as well as promoting awareness and raising money.

Watch this space... in the next couple of weeks we will be doing a raffle that will be drawn 3 weeks before xmas.....the prize?.....a TV!!!...more details, promotional posters to follow...nice present before xmas I say!!

Still open to donations of odd/broken gold...this will be open all year and we will weigh in all donated gold for the cause...one ear ring for most people is of no use!...if you believe in what War on Cancer is all about, your donation will be gratefully received.

Will be writing to local supermarkets and asking if we can offer a packing service for donations. If any agree to this,I will post up details in the upcoming events page.

I will try to finalize details of the Ladies only event night to be held at the Ferrands Arms in October.... please keep checking with us!!

Lots of things going on to make raising my target of £10,000 pounds doable...I am confident this target will be smashed apart!

Again....anybody want to/know anyone who wants to advertise here for a fair donation? get in touch and you will get 12 months!...that's a great deal and you get the satisfaction of helping two very worthy cancer charities!

Until next time

Tracy

War on Cancer shop

Well the shop is starting to catch peoples eyes, so hope fully I will be rushed off my feet completing orders for generous buyers!!

I have to get on tomorrow and put some more t shirt designs in the shop.....I haven't even started loading any of the children's sizes yet! Yikes must get on with it hee hee. There are still ladies and men's t shirts to go in the shop.

I am going to be putting a 100% cotton shopping bag and a drawstring in the shop...these will have the WOC logo on them, also looking into key-rings and mouse mats. So still lots going on in the background.

A reminder of yesterday's idea...anyone with an odd gold ear-ring or any broken gold that they want to donate to my cause, please contact me through PM on Facebook, DM on Twitter or by using the e-mail link in the supporters tab.....all donations will be more than gratefully received!

I ask all of you that read this blog to please share with your friends and ask them to do the same.

Thank you all

Tracy

Tuesday Idea.....got to keep them coming :)

Hello everyone :)

Ever been that person that wakes up in the morning after a great night out to find you've lost one of your ear-rings? It's really annoying, always seems to be your favourite pair too...grrrrrr!!

The latest wacky idea I have come up with is....with gold prices maintaining a high return, War on Cancer is asking if anybody with an odd ear-ring or anything else come to think of it, that you cannot wear anymore or that you want to donate to the cause would be most gratefully received. It could be weighed in and the money added to the total thermometer....my target of £10,000 is more than achievable over the next 12 months. Everything that can be done to raise this money will be done...I am hoping later down the line to say I have raised the total because it has been achieved!

So if any of you do have an odd bit of gold that is not wearable and just sitting there and you think the War on Cancer cause is worthy of it, pls don't hesitate to contact me....this can be done by private message on Facebook, direct message on Twitter or by e-mail....there is a direct link for my e-mail in the supporters tab.

Thank you for even considering this....every little helps :)

Anybody know of a business that would like to advertise? WOC is offering 12 months advertising for a fair donation...this can be paid all at once or a monthly donation can be made. Want to? e-mail donation offered along with business details that you would like to advertise.

Thank you all for reading

Tracy

And we are off!

War on Cancer has sold it's first t-shirt!...it will be winging its way to Skye :) Lets hope this is the first of many! I am going back to the gym tomorrow after a weeks absence, I have just about recovered from my visit to the consultant last week.

I am hoping for a speedy appointment to have these new tests done, hope I don't have to wait too long...will love to get to the bottom of my more recent problems. Still not heard when they are going to sort out the twin that's grown on my eyelid, will phone the GP's secretary tomorrow.

I keep saying it, but I am definitely trying to sort out a fundraising mtg soon, really want to get a charity car wash in before the weather turns too cold ( don't fancy trying to smile while freezing my bits off washing cars lol ). We have to try sell a race night to the local pubs...this should go down well with the guys...both them and WOC come out winners...love a win-win situation :).

Dave hero Slater has told me we have use of a club his dad is vice chairman of...we will be able to definitely run a race night there with food laid on as well :)

This coming Sunday we are going to do a car boot, going to sell the charity bands as well. Hope we can at least get the gear out of the boot before people start rifing the bags!!...it's a bloody stressful thing doing car boots round here!

Do we think if we put flyers on car windscreens that we will get people turning up to the charity carwash? can't really afford to advertise in the paper...too expensive. My niece Robyn's best friend Caroline thinks there may be a chance of using her local pubs car park...which is fantastic...I'm just worried we won't get enough passing trade to make it viable...don't want to do loads of flyers/work for it to fail. Still thinking about options.

Hopefully the next time I write I will have lots of details of upcoming events!

Stay safe friends

Tracy

Yorkshire clinic consultation

Happy Friday everyone

As I said I was going for a consultation yesterday evening, this is because my GP ( Who I saw 6 weeks ago) thought I had a slight prolapse. I had seen a different GP a couple of weeks before that and was presenting all the symptoms of yet another bladder infection and had been given a course of antibiotics, a sample was sent off to the lab. ( the results came back clear )

The consultant last night said even though there was evidence of what looked like a prolapse, his opinion based on the symptoms I am presenting is that my bladder isn't working properly. I am been referred to a specialist colleague of his for further tests, he said the tests are essential but not at all pleasant. He said they don't know what causes it but sometimes the bladder can over stretch and not go back to its normal size. He said the feeling I have that my bladder hasn't fully emptied will be right and so for want of a better word the urine that's left in my bladder after passing water is like a stagnant pool ( I know...ewww ) and this is what will be causing all the pain and bladder infections I've been having. I couldn't think to when it may have happened, but he agreed to could be the end of the infections and pelvic/lower back pains I've been suffering from since last November.

After having these tests done, I will go back to see the consultant from which treatments will be decided obviously based on the results. At last an answer may be around the corner :) It has been a hard 15 months, what with all the pain and infections and the thought that it might be over soon is totally overwhelming. I love the thought of having a pain free day...wow will be great.

Until next time, have a great day everyone!

Tracy

Happy Wednesday everyone :)

Wow lol,I think I have just about got my strength back after the 3 legged! We still have money to come in, but I can tell you we will have raised over £600.00 on the pub crawl...which means we will have raised over £1000.00 from our first two events!!...THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH :)

We haven't set a date for our next fundraising meeting, but that is my fault...I will have a word with myself! We have been banding ideas around, I can say if we can find a location...we will be holding a charity car wash..this we think will be great fun :) When we have more,I will update the events page.

I wish to thank War on Cancers new supporters..

Airedale General Hospital HODU.....my old HODU unit are selling the Pink glow in the dark bands and promoting this web site...go my favourite set of medical staff :)

Sagars Pet Shop.....my best and oldest friends older sister ( like my older sister ) Doris for also selling the bands and promoting with a poster or two!

My sister-in-law Caroline who is also doing the same in her craft shop and cafe in Plymouth.

It is really great of you all and War on Cancer thank you all for believing in the cause :)

It is not a definite....but I will of course let you know if it comes off.....there is a great chance that I will be promoting the War on Cancer web and the cause...on the radio!!! BCB radio may do a piece! I am really excited at the prospect of having an opportunity to promote my web and what we are all about :)

Just a quick update today, I have a hospital consultation late tomorrow and will fill you all in on my latest saga afterwards when I have more information, stay safe and have a great day whatever you are up to friends.

Tracy

3 legged fancy dress pub crawl success

Well what a wonderful time we all had on the pub crawl!...it was great fun and everyone in Bingley joined in with the fun when we were in the pubs :)

We to date have raised a massive £425.00! there is still some sponsor money to come in...a really big thank you to everyone who got sponsors :) There is a really good chance we will break through £1000.00 raised from our first two fundraising events, a really good result. We are currently at £861.00 :)

War on Cancer wants to thank not only the teams but everyone who has sponsored or donated on the night! I'm having problems loading all the photos today, but will keep trying to get them up for you all to see! Damien is going to change how the photos look in the gallery, so hopefully you will like the new and improved gallery in a few days :). I have changed from Flickr to Picasa for loading as I can do it in an album instead of a set. Anyway we will see if it is better.

I'm sure as you will see, there were some cracking costumes! we certainly entertained everyone in the pubs,there was lots of laughing going on... we sure had fun!

A big thank you to all the pubs who donated bottles of wine to the raffle and to the Brown Cow who donated a meal for two. The winning raffle tickets have been picked out and the numbers will be posted in the pubs, so keep your eye out if you bought tickets!

It was a really nice surprise for me to see my eldest brother Graham turn up and my niece Kelly who came over from Hull and my nephew Dean who came over from Manchester :) was great to see Kevin,Paul and Joel after such a long time too :)

I have two announcements...one happy and one sad...Kirsty my sister-in-law has had to back out of climbing Mt.Kilimanjaro for personal reasons, but I know she will be there in spirit with us :) and the good news is that my niece Kelly has said she really wants to climb with us :)

I was even asked on the pub crawl if we are going to organize another on the build up to xmas!...not sure about that one, will have to have a think!

I will be sorting out for us to have a fundraising meeting in the next week or two...we are looking into doing a charity car wash and possibly a treasure hunt before it gets too cold.

More details about the Ladies only event to be held in the Ferrands Arms in October to follow soon...start saving ladies..you could be picking up some bargains for yourselves!!!....we all know a girl deserves to pamper herself a little :) Not to mention a little tipple or two :)

Right I'm back over to the gallery to try yet again with the photos!

Well done everyone for helping raise money and more importantly cancer awareness, I cannot put into words how much I appreciate you all giving your time and money for a cause that is really close to my heart :)

Tracy

Less than 24 hours to go!!

Hello people :)

Well we have less than 24 hours to go to the sponsored charity 3 legged fancy dress! It's 8.30pm and the pub crawl for most will be nearly over! I hope you are looking forward to photos for the event!!

I have the battery for my camera charged up and a memory card empty and ready to go lol! I think everyone taking part are getting pretty excited now, I for one cannot wait!

I want to say a really big thank you to everyone taking part, everyone who has sponsored the teams, the pubs for donating to the raffle and providing free orange juice and helping us to promote sensible drinking and also to those who aren't taking part in the pub crawl as such but are coming down to show their support.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the different outfits!

Prizes will be given to the first team to finish and best dressed male and female....good luck everyone!

Once again , pls remember to bring something to tie yourselves together...and pls make sure you use the pelican crossings...keep yourselves and the drivers safe by not risking just darting across the road.

As well as raising awareness for my two chosen cancer charities and hopefully loads of money...the big aim is that everyone has fun, and will then remember the night fondly for years to come :)

Will post over the weekend with tales from tomorrow night and of course the photos ( probably not Saturday though lol)

Keep smiling and I'll catch you soon

Tracy

3 legged fancy dress is almost apon us!

Hello everybody!

Wow the 3 legged fancy dress pub crawl is almost apon us now! I have drawn up and printed the pub crawl checksheets.....there will be prizes for first to finish and best fancy dress teams----so good luck to each and everyone of you!

I am in the process of doing some blog information posters to go in the car...when they are ready, anyone wanting one to help promote the blog and cause, just let me know and I'll get one to you ( the more the message is spread, the more people become aware...this can only be a positive thing ).

Photo's from the 3 legged will be posted over the weekend ( not saying it will be Saturday lol )....we have the water board coming between 10.00-12.00 am to check for a potential leak, man alive...that's going to be rough on us all...me with probable hangover and the water board person who has to breath in the brewery fumes off me lol!!! Don't know who I'm going to feel more sorry for!!

We will decide on the next fundraising mtg on Friday ( before the pub crawl starts ) we are already floating with a couple of idea's.....a charity car wash and a treasure hunt. If anyone can think of more fundraising idea's please write it in the comments---remember my friends we are fundraising for a full year.. PLEASE HELP US RAISE A MOUNTAIN OF MONEY! :).

Again, anyone wanting or knowing of anyone wanting to advertise on the blog, e-mail me with business details and donation amount. Remember I will advertise for the full 12 months for a fair donation!

Comment and let me know what kind of ticketed event you would go to...we have been graciously offered somewhere where we can hold events for up to 120 people free of charge because it's for charity...so have a think and let me know.

I for one cannot wait to see everyone's outfits, hope you are looking forward to the pictures too!

Speak later

Tracy

Ferrands Arms last pub on pub crawl!

The Ferrands Arms is the last pub on the pub crawl....well done to everyone for making it here! There will be a prize for first to finish and also best fancy dress! The Ferrands are our champions...they have agreed to sell the glow in the dark silicone charity bands and for that I'm really grateful. We will be having a Ladies only events night in the Ferrands in Oct, more details to follow later.

I actually struggled to find any history on the Ferrands, so again if anybody has any information I will gladly edit the blog and put it in. I will say that I have seen a photograph of my great grandad and his work-mates all standing outside the Ferrands Arms with flat caps on lol!...no idea the date...but a great photo it was :)

I hope you all have a proper look around the blog and everything it has to offer now, I am on constant repeat but please share on the wall of your FB, let your friends have a look, they themselves may take some thing away from the positive message I am putting out. Anyone starting, having or finished treatments for cancer will see you can still challenge yourself and do good for others at the same time.

Want to advertise your business for a donation? know others who do? click onto the supporters page and click my e-mail link and leave details of your business and the donation you are giving.

I hope you like the fundraising thermometer...it's supposed to represent Jack's beanstalk and hopefully the money we raise will overflow the target we have set initially. I will gladly increase the target!!

For all of you taking part in the 3 legged pub crawl...I will see you at 7 pm in the Old White Horse!! Pls don't forget to bring something to tie yourselves together with!!

Catch you later folks :)

Tracy

The Blog is fully functional!

Happy Sunday to you all!

I am very happy to announce my blog is fully functional now :) Let me say the comment facility is now working.....pls leave comments and let me know what you think of the blog, any suggestions etc...I feel so lonely and unloved!!

As you can see, there is now a thermometer to show total raised! I'm very happy to have this gadget, I think it is always better when we can visually see the funds going up.

Anyone who wants to advertise a business for a donation on the blog can now go to the supporters tab, in there is a link to my e-mail so you can send details you want advertising.

The shop is now LAUNCHED!!...click on the tab and then the War on Cancer logo and it will take you directly there....there are still stuff to be loaded into the shop, so be sure to keep dropping by.

I am happy to say I think I'm finally over the bug I've had for a few days this week gone by, I have finally got back into the gym!

It is our sponsored three legged pub crawl this coming Friday...we are hoping for good weather and I want to say a big thank you to all the pubs and teams taking part, we are going to have a great time :)

I will write a little piece on the Ferrands Arms tomorrow...the last pub on the pub crawl and of course carry on loading gear into the shop.

Until tomorrow

Tracy

Hello this Wednesday-pub eight on the route!

The Myrtle Grove opened in 2000 and is the former Myrtle cinema. In bygone years Bingley was home to a total of four cinema's ( not bad for a little market town! ). The Myrtle cinema was the newest built of all the cinema's and was built in 1921....it was open to the public until the 1960's.

The Myrtle Grove is the pub number eight on the pub crawl ( nearly at the end now ), staff are looking forward to seeing what everyone is going to be wearing! I ask that everyone when leaving to go to the final pub on the pub crawl take care and use the pelican crossing to make sure you and everyone driving are safe. From this point it is a short walk down to the last pub!

Next and last pub is the Ferrands Arms....until then.

My week so far is going really well on the health and fitness side! Not only did my fitness review go really well....I have lost 3.5lbs this week too! Back to the gym tomorrow morning ( had today off ) and back to pounding away!!

Tracy

Foundry Hill

Hello everyone, hope your Monday has or is going well :)

The seventh pub on route is the Foundry Hill gastro pub and restaurant, it has been opened since Dec 2007. Foundry is a popular place and is ideally situated opposite the train station car park, they boast the best and biggest home-made chips in Yorkshire....and I and many other customers can attest to the Foundry been correct in the boasting they do-- in fact I think they are probably the best in the world!

The food is great,the atmosphere chilled and relaxed and the staff really friendly. We thank you for allowing a bunch of crazy money raising people to pop in on route.

I have started my sixth week of training at the gym, I am still averaging four times a week and have decided not to stretch it to five times,I think I would end up burning myself out. I am looking forward to tomorrow morning, I have a fitness review at 8am and I really want to see how they think I'm doing. I figure another couple of months and I will start my endurance training properly.

I am waiting for a date from my Gp's secretary to confirm when I will be getting the lump that has grown in the last four months removed. I also have a consultation coming up in September, will see what happens from that. In the meantime life goes on!

Next time the pub is the Myrtle Grove, till then.

Tracy

Hi all, I thought I would put a little more detail and more facts about our Mt.Kilimanjaro climb next year. At the top ( Roof of Africa ) the breathable oxygen is less than half the amount that is common at sea level, and climbers cover approx 60 kilometres on nothing but their own feet during the climb to the top and back down to the bottom.

Phases of the climb....stage one....tropical forest.

With most of the lowland forest now cultivated, the first experience of the mountain environment starts between 1850m and 2800m, this is where the dense vegetation of the Tropical Montane Forest begins.

Cloud condensation mainly gathers around the forest, so this area is usually damp or drenched in rainfall,creating a mass of plantlife and running rivers.

Open Moorland

At around 3200m an expanse of moorland extends beyond the heath and cloud line, this results in intense sunny days and cool clear nights. The climbing incline is gentle still at this stage, but the oxygen is thinning, so dramatically slows the walking pace down as muscles are less energized due to less fuel from the oxygen.

Alpine Desert

Beyond 4000m vegetation becomes very sparse, the earth is sandy and loose and intense weather conditions and temperatures fluctuate dramatically that barely any plant species can survive here. Above 5000m only the odd lichen survive and after the Kibo huts and beyond the saddle, where the landscape is predominantly rock and ice fields, this is where we will experience the final steep push to the summit.

Saddle to the summit

All the eastern routes converge to the west of saddle near Gillmans point, between the peaks of Mawenzi and Kibo. Kibo's crater is roughly circular and is 100m lower than Uhuru Peak.

At the centre of an inner crater,with walls 12 to 20 m high it contains a minor concentric cone. The centre of which falls off into the 360m span of the ash pit. This is the 120m deep central core of the volcano,and casts sulphurous boiling smoke from it's depth's despite the frozen, snowy outskirts.

This challenge is going to be a major test on our endurance, but one we will achieve.

Tracy

Happy Friday one and all!

A really big thank you to the Ferrands Arms who are really getting behind my War on Cancer cause.They have agreed to sell the glow in the dark charity silicone bands...I cannot thank you enough for helping to highlight my blog and the message I am trying to get out there.It is not all about the money that's raised....it's about raising awareness and showing life can be fantastic even when surviving cancer....life is for living.....so live it!!

Ok onto the next pub on route. The Suburban Bar is situated in what was the old fire station, it has been open since 2002 and brings the environment and service of a city centre pub into the suburbs. It has large covered outdoor area's.

Posters and sponsor forms have been handed out to participating pubs...all we need now is all of you who want some fun to meet us in the Old White Horse at 7pm two weeks today to have a night of fun!

I didn't go to the gym today ( not because of a hangover ) but will be there when it opens at 8am in the morning! I am having a six week review this coming Tuesday...can't wait to see what my new programme will be! I am still really enjoying working out and am looking forward to pushing myself further!

The doctor is referring me to get the lump removed from my eyelid...I honestly cannot wait..it has grown in only 4 month's. Hoping my appointment comes through soon...I can actually see it!....doc says they will probably deal with it from under my eyelid.

Off for now, will post up in a couple of days and the next pub on route I will publish a picture of id the Foundry Hill, until next time.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Tracy

Shortage of photos of the exteriors of Bingley town centre pubs

I have decided due to the lack of available photo's of the exterior of Bingley's town centre pubs that I will take some myself today when we are delivering the posters and sponsor forms. So with that in mind, I will edit yesterdays blog and add photo's of the pubs that are on route.

So in the mean-time, totally off the subject of War on Cancer and my cause...I want to give a massive shout-out to my big brother Graham ( Andy to his Navy buddies ) who is going to be cycling 500 miles in 5 days around Scotland. The charity he is cycling for is The Royal Navy & Royal Marines...my brother served 22 years in The Royal Navy and this is a way for him to show his support. If you want to support this marvelous charity and help our boys who do so much for us and our country,here is the link where you can sponsor him. ( Graham / Andy Anderson ).

In his words this is going to be a painful experience ( not sure if the bike will have to be surgically removed after 5 days and 500 miles--I will keep you posted lol ). And it is not the value of the contribution, but the contribution itself that has the value.

Here's the link for anyone who's interested.http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/beattheblock .

Thank you for reading :)

Tracy

Happy Wednesday!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to give a little bit of history about all the pubs in the pub crawl, I however have been struggling to find anything on the next three pubs/clubs on route. I couldn't find any photo's of the exteriors either.If anyone knows where I can get them, pls let me know and I'll edit this piece and put more detail in with pleasure!

The next pub on route after the Brown Cow is The Fleece Hotel, which is followed by the Con Club and then onto the Midland. This takes us to five of our total of 9 pubs on route.

Tomorrow I will highlight the Suburban Bar, the 6th bar on our route. After the Suburban Bar, teams will have to cross over the road....Please make sure you use the crossing opposite the Old Library, everyone while having fun needs to make sure that they stay safe....so be careful!

Caroline,Maureen and myself will be going around the participating pubs tomorrow ( I've told you before.....it's dirty work raising money for charity!! ) to drop off promotional posters and sponsor sheets in case any of the locals would like to have an evening of fun while raising awareness and money for this years chosen cancer charities been championed by War on Cancer! For those of you wondering...War on Cancer is here to stay and a new challenge will be chosen for 2013.

If any of you know of any businesses that want to advertise here for 12 months for a sensible donation, don't hesitate to comment. I will get back to you and we can sort it out. All advertising will be done on the Home page in the form of a continuous slideshow!

Also if anyone knows of a band,comedian,drag act etc that you think would be willing to do a ticketed event at a reduced rate for our cause, pls let me know.

Ok that's it for my quick update, will see you tomorrow with a new one!

Have a great day/night

Tracy

Brown Cow is on the banks of the River Aire. To get to the pub, you have to cross the 17th century Ireland bridge which is a Grade ll listed structure. The Brown Cow is situated on the west bank of the River Aire. Although the pub doesn't seem that old, it was once used as the courtroom and even after a dedicated courtroom was built, cases were still occasionally heard at the Brown Cow.

This is the second pub on the 3 legged pub crawl. The teams will walk over Ireland Bridge, which has a narrow footpath and the teams will have to be careful with the traffic.

Posters have been made and will be put up in the pubs this week,hopefully we will get more teams wanting to take part in our fund raiser, this will be fantastic as not only will we raise more money...but what a great way to raise awareness! Everyone who is participating,sponsoring and just generally supporting. I thank you very much!

I hope to see you dressed up in the Old White Horse at 7.00pm on Friday Aug 26th.

Tracy

Pubs on the pub crawl route

Over the next week, I am wherever possible going to put a photo of the pubs taking part in the pub crawl and some history up.

Our meeting and kick-off pub on the pub crawl is the Old White Horse Inn ( pictured )

The Old White Horse Inn is one of the oldest buildings still in use in the town. It was originally constructed as a coaching inn in the mid-seventeenth century, strategically positioned with Ireland Bridge on the one side and the Parish church on the other. The building is an English Grade II listed building and has a significant amount of coaching inn infrastructure surviving including a stable, barn and two coach entrances which are located around an inner courtyard. On each side of the gable are stone lanterns that denote the former owners Order of Knights of St John of Jerusalem. There is evidence that a hostelry has been on the site since 1379.Bingley is a very old market town and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086 as "Bingheleia".

Next time....The Brown Cow on the opposite side of Ireland bridge!

Happy Weekend everybody!

Hello everyone! hope you are all enjoying your weekend so far ( despite the weather ).

Before I go any further....I want to let you all know I have updated the BBQ money raised total to £436.10!!...we had a couple of late donations...details of these will follow shortly on the supporters page :)

We are hoping in the next week to have a total money accumulator working next to the donate button.

I have updated the upcoming events page with details of the fancy dress 3 legged pub crawl. Please make sure you have a read, especially if you are taking part :)

I want to shout-out a big thank you to all the pubs who are participating in the most worthy fund-raiser for my chosen charities in our 12 month fund-raising challenge :) I know it is going to be great fun and I hope you all enjoy yourselves! Please respect other customers in the pubs on route!

A massive thank you to all the pubs/bars that have kindly donated a raffle prize, it's very generous of you. Most have also given us permission to sell raffle tickets on the night to the other customers. Also to the pubs who are offering a free orange cordial,we thank you and recognize the promotion of sensible drinking.

The pubs/bars participating and route order are The Old White Horse,The Brown Cow,The Fleece,The Con Club,The Midland,The Suburban Bar,The Foundry Hill,The Myrtle Grove and Ferrands Arms

Again....check out the upcoming page for Pub Crawl details. Thank you again to everyone who is taking part, and I hope we all have a great night of fun.

Busily in the background,I am working on the E bay shop and again hope to have the link working this coming week...I hope you will all take time to have a look.

I hope you will take a few moments to share the blog with your friends and ask them to have a read and share with their friends too. It would mean a lot if you could do this, hopefully anybody starting or going through any treatments for cancer will be able to take something positive from the blog. Life is for living not existing :)

Thank you

Tracy

War on Cancer BBQ a rip roaring success!

What a fantastic success the BBQ was. A whopping £436.10 was raised on the day/night!

I want to first thank my sister Caroline for turning her annual BBQ into a fund raiser for War on Cancer's Mt.Kilimanjaro 2012 climb for cancer. A massive thank you to everyone who donated to the day, whether it be food, gifts for the raffle and tombola or their time to attend.

Big thanks you's go out to Jeannie for her famous curry and rice...gone in a flash again this year! Joanne for flipping the burgers and sizzling the sausages. To Jeannie and Jackie for cooking the vegetarian chilli and to everyone else who donated food to the BBQ!

Big thank you to Becky ( Harry's mum ) for donating 2 litres of rasberry vodka to the cocktail bar....which were made into the now famous ( round our parts ) Frazzleberry and Blue Lesbian cocktails. A big thank you to my great niece Rayne and her helpers for running the tombola and sorting out the raffle.

And last but no way least.....everyone who attended and made the day/night a resounding success! Thank you for been generous and good sports buying cocktails at the bar ( ran by me ), spending money on tickets for the tombola and raffles and donating the gifts back!

It was a perfect day, a beautiful sunny day spent with old and new friends laughing and enjoying each others company and raising lots of money for my two chosen charities!

An added bonus for me? my sister in law Angela stopped by for a few hours on her way home back up to Barrow and my brother Neil came up from Plymouth to spend the weekend with us and support the cause! was a great day for sure.

Check out the gallery....photos from the event have been loaded! photos taken by Sarah, Jeannie & Jackie...thank you girls!

Thank you for reading...until next time!

Tracy

All preparations under way for Charity BBQ Sat 30th July.

Well it seems to have taken forever to get here, but now we launch 12 months of fund-raising for my two chosen charities which ultimately finishes with the actual climbing of Mt.Kilimanjaro Sept 2012. My hope is to raise a mountain of money for Walk the Walk Breast Cancer and Clic Sargent Children's cancer charities.

I hope that as well has raising money, we will raise awareness and everyone who takes part or attends an event will have very happy memories of laughing and having fun! :) My motto for the year is fun.fun.fun!!

The first of the events is tomorrow..... it's finally arrived...The Pink Palace BBQ extravaganza! Not only will there be a BBQ going, curry,rice,chilli and lots more will be available. Of course you've heard about the cocktail bar lol!....the drinks menu is set.....7 cocktails and 3 shots! There is a raffle,a tombola and stuff for the kids. Everyone is looking forward to it.

We are out to have fun and make everyone smile.....the start of the BBQ for everyone is a walk down the "Pink Carpet" and a photo taken!.....Sarah Victoria Searle is going to be the official photographer for the event...so everyone is going to be snapped by the Papparazzi lol!!!!

Hopefully we have something for everyone and we are hoping to raise a load of cash tomorrow to kick of the campaign in style.

So a big thank you to my sister Caroline for turning her annual BBQ into a fund-raising event for my Mt.Kilimanjaro challenge.

So in the next few days photos will be uploaded to the gallery....keep an eye out for them.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy your weekend whatever you get up to.

Tracy.

Mt.Kilimanjaro climb 2012 challenge team named!

Yes folks we are....drumroll.......The Kilimanjaro Klingon's!! ta-da!!

The boys will be fine, not so sure how we girls will get on not shaving the goatee off first thing in the morning ;) Whoever told us that the leading brand of face cream was good for wrinkle lines was obviously fibbing!! Frown lines to the side....we The Kilimanjaro Klingon's are looking forward to the next 12 months of fun fund-raisers...we really do want to raise cancer awareness a mountain of money for climbing a mountain :). The theme of the next 12 month's is fun,fun,fun!! the money raised will go hand in hand with us all having fun!

We have yet to get out and do a hill climbing session, but a few of us will try and organize one when we are at the charity BBQ this weekend. For those of you who have gathered items to donate, we will be in contact shortly and arrange to pick up.

More information will be put up on the upcoming events page after the BBQ regarding the 3 legged fancy dress pub crawl. I will say the date is set and the pub crawl will set off from The Old White Horse at 7.30pm....meeting time is 7.00pm. So pls get yourself a partner, a fancy dress outfit and come join the fun! We will be ending the pub crawl in the Ferrands Arms and hope that you will stay out and enjoy the rest of the night with us :)

Thank you all for reading and showing your support!

Tracy

Happy Monday :)

Well we are building up to the BBQ this Saturday ( keeping fingers crossed for good weather )We will be off preparing our own bits. I have sorted out my cocktail list as I said, can't wait to get behind the bar now lol!

It's going to be a lot of fun and of course photo's will be taken and posted of the event. We hopefully will raise a few pounds and start off our fund-raising year with a bang :) Everyone has to wear something pink...doesn't matter if it's a charity band or a piece of clothing....failure to do so will result in a little fine!!....People you have been warned!

This week ( or the rest of it ),my plan is to hit the gym around 07.30am. I am trying to step it up a bit, not too much so I can't keep it up or even worse it knocks me back and I can't workout... but it's only through hard work we can improve ourselves,so I will be pushing myself sensibly to make sure I achieve my challenge of reaching the summit of Mt.Kilimanjaro.

After the BBQ, we will complete our travels around the pubs in Bingley to confirm the rest of the pub crawl. Posters will be put in all the participating pubs and of course on-line. Live local?.. get yourself a partner and a fancy dress outfit and get out there with us!.It will be a great night of fun that will raise awareness and hopefully lots of money for the cause .Hope to see you all there!

A big thank you to the participating pubs for offering free soft drinks to those taking part and donating a gift to the raffle. It is very much appreciated.

Anybody who is coming to the BBQ....PM me and I will give you directions :)

Enjoy your day, I will blog later in the week, hopefully it will be to launch the shop and the tab where you can comment and interact with me!

Tracy