Old year coming to an end - bright new 2014 to look forward to!

Hello everyone

As I look out of my window and see a grey start to the day up here in Yorkshire, I think to myself, well that's the only thing that's grey around here. Today I'm going to be signing on for hopefully the last time because I have an appointment with my business mentor this coming Thursday and that should hopefully point me in the right direction for funding and a possible grant while starting up my new business.

I will be out posting contact details for Paws to Pavement today and all this week in the areas I will be covering. I am very confident about this venture and really looking forward to it. A really happy and positive way to end what has been a  frustrating  and very tiring 2013. I am more than happy to see it pass into the past!

I'm off to have a cuppa with my wonderfully fun and courageous friend Katie Noonookes Stirk who is not having the easiest of times right now, but is coping really well with her current health situation with great grace and humour. Katie was one of the best things to come from my job earlier this year, a genuinely true friend and a brilliant ambassador for War on Cancer....it proves that great friendship is not borne from the length of time you've known someone. I love this lass to bits and wish her the speediest of recoveries and the best of health and happiness for the future.

2014 - Looking forward I feel this will finally be my year - I have waited a long time for this! Having had problems with a severe physical injury ( crutches for 5 months ), previous employers and my own serious health issues ongoing since 2007.... I giddily look towards 2014 with great anticipation.

This is the year I secure my long term employment by striking out on my own, where previous employers cannot make life impossible by the dubious demands placed on me, where they can't abuse their power, where I can't be not even considered for a job role because of subtle discrimination due to my past health because I won't be making myself feel ineffectual and redundant - Because I know I still have plenty to offer!

This is the year I get the all clear from the breast cancer

This is the year my house finally sells and I get to be able to move on with my life

This is the year I finally complete the challenge I set myself while recovering from the Chemotherapy and Pneumonia back in 2010 - Mount Kilimanjaro....I AM coming to get you!

This is the year I do the London Moonwalk again with a much improved time over the 10 hours it took me last time...and with not being ill on the night! ( after securing my place )

And this is the year I will have my first holiday since Iceland in Jan 2010.

2014 IS GOING TO BE MY YEAR!

Climbing Ben Nevis was most definitely a major achievement for this year - a massive positive to cancel out some big negatives - such as the Zumba letdown.

Keep living life to the fullest you possibly can, I know I try my hardest to do so.

Until next time

Tracy

Ladies night November 30th - last event of 2013

Hello there

Well it's been a very long time since I last did a blog, it has been a very tough year in so many different ways.

We have our Ladies night coming up in just over a weeks time, it will be WoC's last event of 2013. We have the fantastic and very funny Mr Steve Haze a comedian from Blackpool who is not only going to do a segment of hilarious stand up comedy on the night, but has offered his wonderful wit to compare our whole evening! We thank you very much Steve and look forward to having an aching jaw from all the smiling and laughing we will experience on the night.

So ladies, come join us on our last venture of 2013, where the order of the night is fun,fun,fun! So as well as our comedian of the night Steve Haze, we have the superb local band Shotgun Opera who are going to blow your socks off with some fantastic live music, a mixture of their own music to showcase themselves with a mixture of covers to make sure you rock the night away.

We have also our DJ for the evening Stuart Fletcher who in between all the live action will be making sure your feet are still tapping away to the beat!

Our West Yorkshire Fire Service will be there with some delectable firemen to make sure your glasses stay full and your needs are attended to! - you will also be able to purchase their 2014 calendar which they will be selling on the night.

There will be a " photo booth" if you'd like to get photo memories of your fun filled night also.

We will be selling our charity bands and also there will be a raffle with some great prizes to be won. Our most wonderful friend and superb chef Damian Collinson is going make a sublime meal for two for the winner of one of the raffle prizes....a meal for two at the Victoria Hotel in Bradford! Thank you Damian for this fantastic raffle prize! There are plenty of other prizes to be won too! 

It has been a really hard year with many disappointments, the hardest by far as you know was the the Zumba, for it having to delay it until 2014. This decision was made only two weeks before it was due to happen, the reason I was desperately trying to get things sorted.....it wasn't to be and we were left with no choice but to seek a new venue. We were badly let down by the Venue owners. It also meant we had no chance of getting all the requirements and paperwork done to receive the safety certificate in time for this year before the risks of bad weather became too big.

It was really hard for those of us who had worked so hard to get this event up and running, six months of planning, getting sponsorship, sorting details to make it a success.....afterall we were going for the World record.

I must say it has been very difficult to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and get on with it. So much energy and time was used for the Zumba, we were all working full-time and putting up to twenty hours a week in to the Zumba event also. We will pick this up in the new year and start over.....we have to get the momentum rolling again and the interest of the public - we at WoC are confident we will get the World record and put on an even bigger and better event than it would have been at the Bradford Bulls.

Onto more recent things, healthwise, I've had a bit of a mixed bag again this year, but am still determined to beat it all.I have had and still am having major frustrations trying to find a job, subtle discrimination happens and although most of the time you don't get told that they won't even consider you because they are frightened and put off because you are surviving cancer, that they are scared you'll get re-diagnosed or take lots of time off sick, it happens. I have been applying for jobs that are well within my remit, jobs I am over skilled for, the reasons are I'm not chasing a career, I don't want a management role....I just want to work and earn a living, earn enough so I can really live my life and not just exist. It's tough after working your whole life to struggle to find work when you are more than willing, and to have to survive on £71.20 per week. It is really tough to someone even like me who normally is a really positive person not to get down with it all. I have found with every knock back that has happened this year - that I am in fact tired....tired of having to over justify myself as a real candidate for the job, that I can more than contribute to the working environment and rightly deserve a chance. I'm tired that all the months of hard work for an amazing charity event such as the Zumba collapsed in the eleventh hour because of the whim and total disinterest of a small group of individuals. In a nutshell I've found 2013 to be just that - tiring.

 My cousin Stuart  has suggested I write a book about my ups and downs of living in remission and the frustrations faced each and everyday. He and his wife Jane ( also fighting and surviving cancer ) have said they will help in any way they can, including helping to get it published. I have said I will have a go, not sure if I will be able to, writing isn't really my forte and I'm unsure if anyone will find it interesting. I have been assured it will be and should inspire others who may be in the same kind of situation. I've been told I inspire on a daily basis and a book would be no different - I will let you judge for yourselves if I manage to write it, they after all are quite biased about me!

I have also decided to look at setting up my own business and hope this will be a success - the working world have done zero for my confidence and self esteem, so hopefully I will be able to make a living whilst being my own boss.....at least I won't make myself feel redundant and ineffectual.

Until next time

Tracy   

October challenge cancelled

Hello everyone

Here I am again announcing a cancellation of a War on Cancer challenge. It's been a particularly tough year this year on the fundraising front. People have told me they think the October indoor climb challenge sounded great fun, was something different and something we could all get our teeth into, however this didn't translate into names signing up. So due to lack of firm interest I have no choice but to cancel the event, it would be unfair of me to leave it much later to make this decision when we have an adventure company waiting to make firm plans. So apologies to our great friends Lost Earth Adventures who were going to be running this event for us.

We at WoC have faced much disappointment this year and have had to pick ourselves up and dust ourselves down. We hope that the last couple of events we are planning this year will give us a little boost. Regardless of everything that's occurred this year, we are still enthusiastically planning away and coming up with more events for next year.

It has without a doubt been hard after spending the best part of six months working on the Zumba for the venue to have to change, that was a lot of work by only a few of us on top of working full-time and spending the best of up to fifteen hours a week on the Zumba also. We will be picking this up again in the new year where we will launch our Zumba  campaign again and know the owners of the new venue want to be involved with us and the event. Our determination is to come back with an even bigger and better event than was planned this year.  But for this year most of our efforts have been unrewarded.

As you have no doubt seen the new website has in fact not been launched at the end of September as I announced mid July. I actually can't give you a new date, I'm not even sure of it myself, I will say though that I wouldn't pass on the date even if I did know it as I've already made this announcement twice this year. Whenever it takes place I hope you like it and will interact with me more and let me know what you think of it. We can't improve or give you what you want if you don't tell us what you'd like. So my sincere apologies once more for the launch failure.

I will be having a WoC meeting with our two ambassadors this coming week so will give you more details for the last two events to take place this year. I will try post something straight after our meeting.

On a personal note I am looking to step up my stamina and endurance training for Mount.Kilimanjaro next March but endeavouring to take up a mixture of boxercise and cage fighting training.....boy I'm looking forward to hitting the hell out of the bag believe me, it's going to be great for the frustration levels!! I will also have my own personal trainer Mr Paul Myers - thank you Paul for this and I apologise now for the frustration you are sure to suffer at my slow improvements!!

Myself and Bec's one of WoC's most loyal family member have got a couple of great hill walks in, we were back in the Dales in recent weeks, we climbed Yorkshire's highest peak Whernside and then in the last week or so we climbed Ingleborough. Bec's also in preparation for Mount.Kilimanjaro has got herself a new programme at the gym for her leg endurance to work on stretching out the muscles to hopefully prevent cramp issues when climbing Kili....I need one of those myself!

I must say I as well as climbing Whernside with Bec's actually went back and climbed it again four days later with my pal Donna. I felt great. I had a tougher climb when we did Ingleborough, I was struggling with breathlessness and a stupid cough I'd had for around five weeks. My chest was burning on the climb up. I actually had an appointment with the Doctor that week where it turned out I had a chest infection and laryingitis - that solved the mystery of why it was such a tough climb!

Until next time

Tracy

October sponsored Indoor team climb challenge

Hello everyone

Well here we are with our next challenge - this isn't for the fainthearted, it's a tough one, but will also be great fun. The event will take place on Saturday October 19th - this will be a full day event.

The venue is to be confirmed, but here are the rest of the details.

It is open to a maximum of 24 people, every participant must pledge to raise £100 minimum for War on Cancer.

There will be six people to a team and a experienced climb instructor for each team. I fully expect a bit of gentle team rivalry over the day.

But most importantly we will be collectively climbing the equivalent height of Mount.Kilimanjaro - that's a whopping 19,340ft! - this is a tough ask...but a worthy one, I'm positive with all the team backing and encouraging us along we can smash it!

This is a challenge that is a little different from the norm, something we can all contribute to as individuals and as a team of 24 we can conquer the height of the World's tallest free standing mountain.

I myself know I will find this really hard having had a lot of my chest muscle cut away when I had my breast tumour removed....but I will do my best and I will try my hardest to contribute as much as I can for this really exciting challenge.

The cost per person is £32.00 - this covers the entrance fee to the wall and the experienced climb instructors for the duration of the event.

Our climb experts are our great friends from Lost Earth Adventures who have accepted the challenge and are happy to be corroborating  with us again this year. We thank you guys and look forward to a day full of fun and laughter!

For those interested - remember it is limited places based on a first come basis. You can register your place by contacting me at waroncancer1@gmail.com with the following details :

Name, address and telephone number. - you can pay your entry fee here on the blog by pressing the Donate link.

Until next time

Tracy 

Upcoming events and general update

Hello everyone

I want to let you know what we have coming up event wise through to February 2014. The last 5 weeks have been really hard personally and from War on Cancers point of view. As you all know the Zumba had to be postponed and a new venue sought. With this been last minute it has caused nothing but stress and worry to myself and WoC's two ambassadors, we tried everything we could to still get the Zumba event to happen this year, unfortunately and very sadly this has been made impossible as we cannot get everything approved through the local council before the weather becomes too unpredictable. So with this in mind we really had no choice but to delay into the spring/summer of 2014.

I really did take this badly and have in all honesty been very down about it all, there was months of preparation gone into this, with some great work done to secure some superb sponsorship and help from some great companies, especially Ian Watt of Absolute Solutions who were sponsoring and providing not only the stage but also the audio for our wonderful event. Stuart Fletcher who was giving his time and DJ skills to us for free and of course Rachael of Zumba Bradford who was leading us in the Zumba and all the Zumba Belles and the Zumba kids too. We cannot thank you enough for what you were willing to do for us. And hopefully we'll see you next year when we kick it all off again!

It's been tough with having to delay this event and of course the delay to my challenge for climbing Mount.Kilimanjaro until next March. So a lot of disappointment this year.

Anyway we of course as always are moving forward and leaving all the negativity from the past number of weeks behind us and are concentrating on what's coming up over the next 6 months or so.

So onto positive and brighter news for WoC - here's whats on the agenda:

September - A charity car wash - I will confirm the date shortly - could be Sept 7th, will be at our usual venue - The Sun Inn at Cottingley - Why not go enjoy a meal while you're at it. Cost for your car £3.00!

The rescheduled Annual Garden and cocktail Party - this is now Sat Sept 14th from 14.00pm - it is at  new venue The Pink Parlour. My sister Caroline says she's fit and raring to go again - glad to have you back sis! Contact myself  here, on FB or Twitter if you are interested, or Caroline Anderson - an idea of numbers would be great from a food point of view. It is the same cocktail list with prices £2.50 each....our food theme is Italian and for 3 courses you pay a measly £5.00!! I will start putting posters out again.

October - October 19th brings our indoor sponsored team climbing challenge! - we are still ironing out the details for number of teams/ no of members in a team but will keep you updated. Please contact us here or myself / Angela Moore/ Katie Stirk to register your interest in being part of this great sponsored challenge.
Each team will have a friendly competition going on between each other over the day ( always will get that friendly rivalry going on ) - but ultimately all the teams collectively will be climbing to the equivalent height of a chosen mountain - this is going to be a great day and a really novel experience - I for one cannot wait to have a go at this, I will apologise to my team mates right now, I have no upper body strength, but will try my best to do my bit, I am no way not being part of this epic day! When it is fully costed out, we will announce it.

Date not confirmed in October - a charity event to be held in Plymouth. Details to follow!

November - November 23rd brings Ladies night to Low Moor Working Men's Club -DJ, Live band, tombola, raffle more details to follow!

December - December 8th Xmas Fayre - again our venue for this will be Low Moor Working Men's club - we will have stalls, tombola and a chocolate tombola, Santa for the kiddies etc. More details to follow, will update over next few weeks. Will be a lovely afternoon out!

February - February brings our Valentines Day event - this is going to be a brilliant night out folks- please don't think it's just for couples, many singles people will be there too. We are very happy to announce something a bit different for Valentines Day, rather than just the meal...blah, blah, blah.....we will be hosting a 1920's themed Murder Mystery evening with a meal and auction ! - We want to see all you Agatha Christie's and Poirot's there solving the murders - what about some Gangsters and Molls dressed up to the nines! - we want to know who dunnit!!!

March - March finally brings the challenge I set myself while I was recovering from pneumonia and a collapsed lung that had my chemo cut short - it has been such a long journey to get to this point. So I have some WOC "family" members coming along with me for this truly momentous adventure. The worlds tallest free standing mountain at 19,340 feet or 5,895 metres. Joining me on my challenge are Graham, Angela, Bec's, Ali and Caroline. Caroline is coming along to support but will not be climbing ( she'll be quality checking the beer on a regular basis while we are on the mountain!! ) This will be a 7 night/8 day climb. I hope you can find it in you to sponsor someone on this challenge.  We are climbing to the Roof of Africa to raise money and awareness for WOC - we will welcome corporate sponsorship on this endeavour and will happily wear your logos on our clothing, photoshoot at the summit!!  ! Lets really show our support in the fight  for men & women suffering from breast cancer - any and all donations and sponsorship will be most gratefully accepted. Together we can raise a mountain of cash for climbing a mountain!

There will be more details to follow on a lot of our up coming events, but as you can see we never stop in our drive to hopefully make someone's life easier as they fight the tough battle against cancer.

Until next time

Tracy

Guinness Zumba World Record attempt - having to postpone until 2014

Hello everyone

It is with a heavy heart I have to announce the postponement of the Zumba into the spring/summer of 2014. This is extremely disappointing after all the months of work that has gone into the preparation. We had worked so hard and had secured some great sponsorship from some great businesses. We will welcome them back on board next year and hope they will still want to be part of something so great. We even secured a goodie bag for every participant taking part in the actual Zumba!

I want to take this time to thank two really great lasses, two brilliant ambassadors who have worked hard to help bring this major event nearly to fruition. Angela Moore & Katie Stirk - WOC & I are really grateful to have you on board, long may you both stay. You both are fantastic ambassadors - always bringing the charity awareness to others always looking for opportunities to bring others on board and always accepting shared responsibility for all the jobs and tasks we need to complete for any event we are planning to host.Our meetings are always fun filled and very positive, we all come away with a sense of something achieved and a list of new duties as long as our arms!! You are always looking to network on behalf of WOC.....you are indeed what an ambassador is supposed to be. So a very big personal thank you from me.

From our charity point of view it is very upsetting to have lost a year on this event. An event that would have brought a community together, thousands of like minded people giving up their time to stand united in our fight against cancer for men and women suffering with breast cancer. A perfect chance to show our great city in a really positive light, keeping up the brilliant feel good atmosphere that Bradford City got going with their amazing promotion grabbing season which saw them at Wembley twice this year. A real fun event that would have got people out to exercise, do a Zumba class and hopefully get them to carry on with some form of exercise. We all know how important exercise and nutrition is to us here at WOC.

It is sad that all the positive feedback, following and excitement that we had garnered from our advertising, flyers and business cards could now be lost as we have to delay until the weather picks up next year. The information about the Zumba had gone out to in excess of approx  25,000 people. Hopefully those who were interested this year will still be when it takes place next year. I have to inform Guinness and again I hope they will allow the delay on our current application - otherwise I will have to go through the whole process again.

We have agreed a venue in principal and I can happily say the owners are really happy to be able to help us out. The are totally on board and look forward to our amazing Guinness World Record attempt while getting down to the serious business of raising awareness and money for our cancer charity. They have assured us they will do whatever they can to assist us. So thank you very much to them!

We know we wouldn't be able to get all the relevant paperwork completed before the weather became an issue and prevented us successfully hosting the Zumba this year now. To get approval for the paperwork with the council can take on average 3-4 months. When we have an agreement with the council in principal for our chosen new venue - we will then make an announcement. We don't want to announce beforehand in case we run into any red tape issues that cannot be resolved. So be patient with us, we hopefully can announce soon and then finish off the paperwork behind the scenes.

On a personal note I want to thank my friends for trying to pick me up. I have undoubtedly been hit very hard and have been very down about everything that brought us to this exact point of having to announce our postponement into 2014. I think part of me is still in denial and the other part is struggling to grasp what has happened.  I know it will make me even more determined to make this Guinness Zumba World Record attempt spectacular, to help lay the ghosts of our failed 2013 campaign to rest as it were.

This is the second major blow to planned events this year for me, as I have already delayed my sponsored Mount.Kilimanjaro climb until March 2014. The positive in doing this is that  great friends and very loyal WOC "family" members -Angela,Caroline ( coming to support but not climb ) Bec's & Ali will now be able to join this magnificent quest to conquer the Worlds tallest free standing mountain at a whopping 19,340ft -- welcome aboard girls, a pleasure to have you aboard!! The major plus for me in 2013 was conquering Ben Nevis beginning of June just 14 months on from barely being able to get myself out of bed and only being able to dress myself sat down. This is a sponsored event and any sponsorship - corporate, business and personal will be gratefully accepted -- we want to make this Majestic mountain climb a major winner in monies raised.

So finally as we come to terms with postponing our Zumba event - we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and ease the massive disappointment by getting stuck into finalizing the planning of the other events we have coming up.

I will post a blog in the next couple of days giving an overview of these events. Onwards and upwards as we always say - you can kick us down.....but we'll always get back up and carry on the fight to raise awareness and funds in our War on Cancer .

Until Next time

Tracy

Zumba POSTPONED not cancelled!

Hello everyone

The Zumba is postponed and most definitely not cancelled. We have in principal agreed a new venue and the owners are very happy to offer their venue to us. However before we make an announcement we want to make sure we aren't going to get knocked back by the local council on any issue. So we are making sure our proposed new date doesn't clash with anything else going on in the city that would affect our chances of getting the all clear.

And we are making sure logistically the transport & parking of all the cars etc of you lovely people who will be taking part have somewhere to go that won't effect the surrounding areas. So we need somewhere where the extra cars can be absorbed into the surrounding area or maybe set up a park & ride system to ensure we get the go ahead.

So rather than rashly give you a venue and date in order to prove we are on with sorting it, we are going to get approval from the council in principal before we announce it - we can then finish all required paperwork and license applications.

So bare with us, we are working on it and will happily announce our new venue and date soon. It will still be a spectacular day with our very own chance to become a World Record Holder - hope you will still be on board!

To our stall holders and sponsors - we hope you will still want to be involved and invested in our cause to raise awareness and money for War on Cancer.

This after all is the main reason for hosting this event - if we succeed with our Guinness world record - well that's just a massive bonus!

With further updates to follow very shortly

Until next time

Tracy    

Zumba delayed due to search for new venue

Hello everyone

A quick but very important update about our Guinness Zumba World Record attempt. Please read!

War on Cancer's bid to host the Guinness Zumba World

 Record attempt on August 17th at the Bradford Bulls is not

 taking place as originally planned.

We are looking into a new venue - but understandably at

 this late stage we won't be able to host on our original date

 that was agreed back in Feb/Mar this year. As and when we

 get information about the venue and new date it will be

 announced to you all.


For those wanting refunds on your tickets, please contact 

the person who sold them to you.

We are working tirelessly to get this sorted out and we are 

fully aware the weather will become a very big factor 

against us as the year draws closer to autumn. But like 

anything else with War on Cancer - we will not give in.


I will post a new blog as soon as we know what we can do about the venue and date from 

our talks with the council.

Until then 
Tracy

Everything zumba!

Hello everyone

Wow what a crazy time it is right now! As the Guinness Zumba World Record attempt draws ever closer, so does the knowledge that the final bits have to be put to bed as it were. With this in mind, I'm going to be taking off next week from work to hopefully get the majority completed.

I and Woc's ambassadors will be busy at it until the event is over. We are really excited about it and from the feedback we are getting, it seems you have caught the bug too!

Over the next couple of days we will be negotiating with shops etc to agree to sell the wristbands ( your entry ticket ) in various areas around Bradford and the surrounding districts in order to save you all a trip up to Odsal before Z Day ( Zumba Day ). It really will be helpful to us here at War on Cancer for you to get your tickets as soon as. The tickets are capped off at a maximum of 7000 and once they are gone, they are gone!

I had a lovely call a couple of days ago from a lady called Alison who along with loads of her family and friends will be doing the Zumba.

She is really in the spirit of the occasion and they are going to have a theme for the day. She said because our charity is called War on Cancer - they are going to come in camouflage! A brilliant idea Alison, and I know even I won't struggle to see you all dressed up and ready for the action!

She really summed up what this event is all about and why we are putting it together in the first place ( thank you Alison for being on the same wavelength as WoC and myself )

She said everyone's lives are touched by cancer in one way or another and this is a really fun way of showing support  -- and at the end of the day -- Who doesn't want to be a World Record Holder!!! I hear you Alison!

I will change and update the poster with different details as and when we get outlets agreeing to sell the wristbands so you know where you can get them from.

We also have fantastic packages available for stall holders, so whether you are a business or a sole trader, we have something for all of you. We have a really superb opportunity for anyone wanting to take advantage of the advertising on the massive 16 msq TV which will be at the event.We will be showing sponsors business logos on the screen between shots of the crowds, before and after the Zumba World Record - this is approx 4 hours of advertising space! We will even have a professional cameraman at the event! Just think of the thousands of potential customers and consumers that will be there on the day - can you really afford to miss out on this? I know we at WOC can't and so will be having a stall ourselves!

The T& A will have a photographer there on the day, and other media will be in attendance on the day too....I will announce who shortly. So everyone can grab their moment of fame on the day!

Our very kind and gracious Zumba Instructor Rachael who is a director of Zumba Bradford is donating her and her company's time for free and will be directing us through our Zumba World Record, her fantastic Zumba troop the Zumba Belles will also be in attendance and will do a showcase number for us too. There is also going to be a special treat as the Zumba kids will also do a little number for us too!...so mum's and dad's be prepared for you little ones wanting to sgn up for Zumba classes afterwards! - we thank you form the bottom of our hearts for doing this for WOC Rachael!

Ian Watt of Absolute Solutions are also fantastically and graciously helping us out with our Zumba event. They are providing the stage and sound for our event. Without you help here Ian, this would have put this event beyond the reach of our little charity and we also thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

To our DJ Stuart who is donating his time for free, a massive big thank you to you too! Stuart is going to be pumping out some tunes for you from when the gates open until we start getting you onto the pitch ( yes this bit is going to be a bit of a pain--but we have to do it in an orderly fashion has it is in the official Guinness guidelines and must be adhered to in order to qualify for the World Record. - So please be patient with us through this process! Stuart will then be back with the music after we've GOT the World Record to entertain you while you check out the stalls!

Some of the stalls will be holding competitions and raffles as well as selling goods etc.

Our very own WoC stall will have one or two raffles going on as well as selling our charity bands and taking orders for the Zumba event t-shirts. We will have samples at the stall for you to check.

I did try to secure the Yorkshire Tea "Little Urn" van - but unfortunately due to prior engagements they couldn't fit it in. They did however send a little Yorkshire Tea pack for us to raffle off!

Fitness First are a massive sponsor of the day and they will have a great stall for you all to check out. They will be raffling off gym memberships for a £1.00 a ticket! First prize is a Black Label gym package worth £760!! all money raised from the raffle Fitness First are donating to WOC - we thank you very much!  

Vybe juice coconut water ( I love this juice!! ) will be doing competitions throughout the day with you having a chance to win some of this wonderfully healthy drink. You can also buy on the day. A must try for sure!

Z day is a real community day where we can all show our support for family, friends and loved ones whose lives have been affected by cancer. And we can do this by getting a ticket and supporting whilst we have fun doing the Zumba.

It's about raising awareness as well as money, it's about getting out there and doing some exercise which prevents certain cancers, but also prevents many other illnesses too. It's about living our lives positively and showing other we can do this and have lots of fun on the way. Together we can help eradicate cancer for future generations, I for one am really happy to be part of that process, and those of you who support charities obviously are too.

We at War on Cancer hope to see you there dressed up or not showing not only our sufferers of cancer that we are here for you, but the World what a fantastic community spirit we have here in Bradford when we secure the World Record!

Until next time

Tracy  

New website almost completed!

Hello everyone

The new website is almost ready to put out there for you all to try - I hope you'll take the time to feedback to  me what you think of it! Here's hoping you all like it and get interactive with us at WoC. There will be new features on the site, but the blog will remain a significant part of it, after all many of you visit the blog as the amount of hits it receives testify to that.

There will be many more opportunities to comment on articles....and much easier to leave feedback. I'm really looking forward to the interaction with you and hope you will enjoy that too!

Although we are working crazy hours in the back ground to try make sure the Zumba is a success and that we get the world record - ultimately it is down to you guys and whether you come along to support our charity, a loved one with breast cancer, or just because you love Zumba or a good bit of fun.....only you can deem whether you think it's worth giving £5.00 to be part of it!

We at WoC certainly hope so, there will be media coverage on the day, with lots of great stalls for you all to peruse before and after the Zumba event.

Anyone wanting to have a stall or take advantage of our advertising package on the big 16 metre squared TV, get in contact to find out costs - think you'll be surprised at how good a deal you'll get!

I don't want to give anything away, but am excited that we've managed to secure a little goodie bag for everyone who takes part.

Within the next few days I'll be submitting the information Guinness want to pre-approve certain parts of the event. It's all getting exciting now.

If you are talking about the event with friends and family - please let them know we'd like tickets to be bought prior to the day to help us with numbers of participants....this will help immensely when coming to know how many stewards we need on the pitch working to official Guinness guidelines.

I will be popping posters with information of outlets in the area of where you can buy your  Zumba wristbands for the day....remember they are £5.00 each. So keep an eye out for your nearest outlet.

We have been donated a fantastic voucher from Elsie Russell's florists in Shipley to raffle on the day to raise funds for WoC. A massive thank you to you!

Until next time

Tracy

Guinness World Record attempt coming ever closer!

Hello everyone

Wow it's been a crazy busy few months for sure! myself and WOC's two ambassadors are working non-stop in the background to make sure the Zumba event on August 17th is a roaring success!

So there have been plenty of posters knocking about the place advertising the Zumba - now we are going to tell you some of the things you can expect to happen on the day!

But before that - I'll ask again.....WHO IS GOING TO BE A GUINNESS WORLD RECORD HOLDER!!! - it's really simple, pre-buy your ticket to avoid disappointment because they have sold out - there is a maximum of 7000 tickets on sale. Also by buying before the event, it helps us gauge where we are in regards to numbers for the World Record.

We wanted to get an adjudicator there for the day so we could find out straight away if we'd succeeded in our quest....but it is £4500 per day plus travel and expenses for one adjudicator - and in all conscience, I can't and won't justify that kind of money. So we have strict guidelines we must follow and obligations to fulfill in our evidence gathering to then send off to Guinness to be checked and verified.

SO PLEASE, PLEASE BE PATIENT WITH US WHEN WE ARE GETTING YOU ALL ON THE PITCH!! 

One of our sponsors and stall holders is Vybe - they supply the delicious drink Coconut water.

This is an amazing drink that is 100% natural, it's gluten free, fat free, low in calories, contains potassium, electrolytes, nutrients and is hydrating!! you have got to try this out on Zumba day - it is fast becoming one of my favourite drinks behind my de-tox juice- it's so healthy and I really love it!

Vybe are going to run a competition and offer a great discount to you great folks attending the event.

Here's what they are offering you!

Vybe Competition

At certain times we will have a Game of Coconut Shie where people can win Coconut Water by knocking off the coconut drinks with a soft ball.

Sign up with email address for the chance to win 2 cases of coconut water to be sent to the winner within 7 days of event.

Discount voucher for ordering from the site directly. Buy one get one-half price with free delivery.

Best of luck to you all in winning this fab drink - Amazing BOGOHP offer too!

Another of our sponors is the very actively supportive Arena Sports Bar in Queensgate , Bradford. 

You need to check this out, it quite rightfully boasts the fact they are in the only bar Yorkshire with three Sky boxes. They can show a multitude of sports on the 80" and various 50" plasma screens at the same time.

A must check out for anyone wanting a new experience!

Best of look to both sponsors mentioned today in all ventures they undertake.

There is going to be a free goodie bag for every participant of the Zumba - details of contents are to be keep a secret - you'll find out on the day!

I will give you more details of other sponsors in the coming days/weeks.

But can tell you it's going to be a fantastic day for anyone who comes along.

We will have a DJ playing tunes from the moment the gates open until we start organising you all onto the pitch, and then for an hour after the Zumba is completed.

There will be plenty of stalls for you to enjoy on the upper concourse, come join us and experience something really special.

Come along Bradford, let's show the world what community really means!!

Until next time

Tracy

WoC annual Garden and Cocktail party

Hello everyone

The annual garden party is almost upon us! It will be held this year at the Pink Parlour and not the Pink Palace!! on Saturday July 13th.

The food theme this year is Italian. It will cost the usual £5.00 and for that you'll get the choice of a couple of starters, a main and dessert if wanted.

The usual regarding drinks - you bring the drink of your choice for the party and come buy a cocktail if you wish.

There will be a Tombola as normal and all the usual fun. Hope to see you there!

The starters are Garlic bread, Garlic bread with cheese, pizza pieces veggie or meat and Mozzarella cheese balls with a spicy tomato sauce.

Main course dishes are Lasagne, Veggie lasagne, Bolognese and Jacket potato's. ( when you read potato's I bet you did it with an Irish accent! )

Dessert's are Neapolitan ice cream & wafers and Tiramisu.

The cocktail bar will be open from 15.00pm. Prices will range from £2.00 - £2.50, and the menu is:
Strawberry Daiquiri
Frazzleberry
Negroni
Strawberry Berryoska
Anejo Highball
Alabazam
Godfather

The garden party starts at 14.00pm, but you can come whatever time suits you!

Until next time
Tracy

No serious adverse effects after blown tyre puts car in a ditch

Hello everyone

I'm glad to say both my sister and I are fine after my car ended up in a ditch Monday am. We had only travelled about 2 miles on our six hour return journey home when the front tyre blew and we ended up in a ditch.

I will put up a couple of photos of the car. We were travelling on a single track road and having just driven around a bend I was only doing 25-30 miles per hour, the driver front tyre blew and it pulled the car to the right by only a couple of inches. This was enough however to make the  front wheel on the driver side drop off the edge of the tarmac ( no curbs on these roads ).

The drop was about 4/5 inches ( if this had happened 10 foot further down the road it wouldn't have been an issue has there was no drop off ) and I was trying to pull the car back up, it wasn't having any of it, unfortunately for me there was a second drop off and after having a double dip it was impossible for me to pull the car back up.

I was still managing to keep the car straight with the road, but the the steepness of the ditch was putting my car on an ever increasing angle, so in the end I had to drive down into the ditch. Aa I turned and drove down into the ditch it was a bumpy ride, there was an awful loud noise going on, it sounded like the exhaust had
 been ripped off or something!

The car eventually came to a stop, and my sister and I were asking each other if we were okay, it had happened so quickly, we got out of the car and I then realised the really loud noise was from the wheel arch trim and wheel arch been ripped off the car and dragged underneath.

Luckily it was a soft landing in the bottom of the ditch, couldn't see the wheels or undercarraige, I got back in the car and started up the engine, fired up straight away, I reversed the car back the way I'd come in, but after about 10-15 feet it wouldn't budge.

We had just stepped out of the car again when a passerby stopped, he asked if we'd rang anybody. We said no, it's just happened and there is no signal. He offered to go to Monron's down in Oban for us. He then came back to say they would be on their way shortly.

It was really heart warming to see so many motorists stop to see if we were okay and if they could do anything. I thank each and everyone of them.

The recovery truck came and winched my car out of the ditch. He said I was really lucky the car hadn't flipped over because of the steepness of the side. It was put on the back of the truck and down to town we went. Believe it or not, my tough car got away with a new tyre and was drivable!

So we had a £240  four hour delay and was once again on our way home.

Didn't get home until  after 9pm, at which point I popped open a bottle of Crabbie's Ginger Ale amnd toasted our successful ascent of Ben Nevis and our very lucky escape from the ditch.

I'm still trying to get my car sorted out, but she's still driving really well. I never once felt nervous about driving her 300 miles home after we had been pulled from the ditch. I'll just be happy when the damage is sorted and she looks her normal self!

The Ben Nevis sponsored challenge was a fantastic experience, all who took part thoroughly enjoyed themselves, those who didn't turn up missed out on something really special.

I look forward to the next endurance challenge as War on Cancer takes on as part of conquering the highest peaks of the British Isles!

All future events will now come with a minimum deposit required which can be redeemed from sponsor money collected to prevent another "Ben Nevis" occurrence. It's certainly a lesson that's been learned. The non- showers have seriously reduced money raised on a big annual event. I cannot in all good conscience allow this to happen again.

So happy and safe from our wonderful Ben Nevis event and already looking into next years1

So it's on with training for the Yorkshire 3 Peaks which Lost Earth Adventures are hosting on behalf of  WOC in July and then carrying for my Mount.Kilimanjaro climb in September.

Until next time
Tracy

Ben Nevis sponsored endurance challenge 2013

Hello everyone!

Wow what a weekend! I'm so very happy to say everyone who took part in the WOC annual endurance challenge successfully completed it! A massive congratulations to them all!

We had the most beautiful weather for the weekend, I think we were truly blessed after the horrible weather we'd had during the 2012 endurance event.

The drive up on the Friday was great, the roads were quiet, the sun was shining and the singing was happening in the car! It took around six hours to get up to Oban where I'd decided to stay. What a gorgeous  place it was too. I know by staying there I'd have a drive of just over a hour to get to our meeting place the following morning at the Ben Nevis visitor centre just outside Fort William. But to be honest it was worth it, the scenery was spectacular and worth the extra travelling time.

The major downside for me was discovering on our arrival that the in car charger that had been plugged inot my phone the whole trip ( sat nav ) was broken and consequently had not been charging my phone. My battery for all intense purposes was a gonna.

My eldest sister Caroline and I had decided to camp and I'd found a great campsite just two and a half miles outside Oban. It had a great view of the sea and wasn't too busy. When got there the Friday evening, got the tent pitched and drove down to the town to grab some food. A cheeky Gin & Tonic and we were ready to hit the sleeping bags. 

Saturday am saw us up ready and off. I had been very good and had packed my hiking rucksack before I'd left home. We set off in plenty of time, but it all started crashing around our ears when we got stuck behind two very, very slow drivers. Anyone ever been to Scotland can attest to the roads and the lack of spots for overtaking. Then to add to the problems don't ask me how, we didn't end up on the coastal route to Fort William for our 8am rendezvous, we were the majestic route up into The Highlands to Fort William! - don't get me wrong it is really spectacular.....just not when you are running late for a meet up!

We did finally make it to the visitor centre really late. The other were waiting for us to get there ( they were all a little late, but nowhere near as bad as me, could have done without the extra two hours driving! ) We finally set off at 10.30am on a gloriously sunny and hot day. The Ben Nevis challenge was upon us!

So we set off the six of us that made it from the very many more who had pledged themselves to the challenge of raising money for WOC and the climbing of Ben Nevis. So Andy, Angela, Caroline, Bec's, Ali and our two furry mascots for the day Harry and Bess were on our way. Challenge accepted! My sister Caroline had been having problems with her knee for quite a while, she wasn't sure how'd she get on, but had actually paid to have some acupuncture done prior to us setting off. So it was a big good luck with the knee and let's see what the day brings.

From the get go you are practically straight into uneven rock steps of different sizes, and the ascent is pretty steep straight away. It was a glorious day, but that did not make for comfy climbing, our fluid intake was going to be crucial for sure. Everything was going really well, we weren't marching up the mountain, we were being sensible keeping a nice steady pace, stopping to take photos, a drink and chatting and laughing along the way.

About a third of the way up I started getting little telltale twinges in my right calf, they only lasted a couple of seconds but I was thinking, no don't do this today of all days! My right ankle is the one I ruptured and ended up on crutches for five months, and if I'm going to have any trouble it's always the right leg. On wards and upwards we went, the first of what turned out to be endless cramp attacks happened, yep my right calf. I was a little ahead of Andy and Caroline when it hit, I sort of threw myself on a rock and was trying to grab the muscle and my foot whilst being impeded by my walking poles! I shouted out in pain as you do, and bless a young guy came charging over ( he was on his way down ) to see what he could do. He was pushing my toes towards me to try stretch out my calf.

My brother got to me and took over, I thanked the young man and my brother massaged the cramp out of my calf. Like I say it was an endless round of attacks, my brother/sister massaging them out, me getting a few minutes relief before the next one built up. Was no fun for sure! I think the fact my right foot doesn't flex as it used to before the rupture contributes to a lot of this. I don't ever fully stretch out the calf muscle.

There's a section of the climb coming up towards the halfway part that is really tough, it's not just stones to step up, they are big, uneven, at different angles and they make for a really tough time, you are literally scrambling up some of them. The view certainly helped to distract from the terrain when on a mini couple of minutes breather.

By this time our fittest in the group Bec's and Ali were off ahead of us with their dogs Harry & Bess, just below the halfway point is a lake and the girls were off to take the dogs in to cool off, everyone was feeling the heat! Ahead of us but behind the girls was Angela on her own, she'd found her pace and was steadily getting on. It was poor Andy stuck with two of his sisters making sure we were fine. 

I'm sure the dogs were well and truly ready for this. We made it to the lake area , it's the only flat area apart from the plateau at the summit. Bec's and Ali had moved on about 10 minutes prior to us getting there, but Angela was having a well earned rest. We joined her to and had a little something to eat. My calf was not good and Caroline spent ages massaging it for me. It felt loose and great!

We got up to crack on up to the summit. I'd only been walking a couple of minutes when the quads just above both knee's started spasming and cramping. I couldn't move, it was very painful to say the least. I got sat down and was squeezing them to try and relieve some of the pain. It wasn't working....my brother said to me, did I want some medical advice, I said don't dare say I have to stop - my brother started laughing and rolling his eyes ( I like to think with fondness! ) and said no I wouldn't say that, But you are going to have to walk through it sis.

So for the rest of the steep climb I alternated between having moments of painfree bliss and either quad spasms/cramps and calf cramps. It made for a really long climb for everyone. The section of loose rocks were really telling on the body and didn't help anyone's toes when feet were slipping and banging into other rocks . When we finally were up close to the summit, the first lot of snow we'd have to cross came into view, it was about a foot deep, bit was slippy from all the climbers who'd gone before us. 

We all managed to get over it, my sister Caroline had fallen back down into it in her shorts, she shouted me who was struggling to lift my feet an inch off the ground due to quad cramps ( ever tried shuffling feet forward up hill on slippy snow? - a difficult feat indeed lol!! ), but a lovely young Scot in his kilt when and helped her up - made her day!!

We got to the summit and I was so,so,so happy! we had all made it! Bec's and Ali had passed us on the way down about a hour before. They were descending so they could get the dogs home and rested. Great effort girls.....and Harry & Bess!!

The view was breathtaking, I didn't feel cold at all, not even when I took my rucksack off and my soaked t shirt hit the cold air. There was about a foot of snow on the summit. Here we were at the highest point of Great Britain, and we loved it!!

Angela had at one point got her foot jammed between two rocks and fell in the snow, she luckily managed to wriggle it free!

We had a swig of bubbly to celebrate our success, took in the views, posed for photos and looked around the observatory ruins. We stayed up there about half an hour and then gathered our things for our climb back down.

Going down was so much harder than going up, I think the fatigue really plays a part in that. You don't have the spring in your step, it's so much harder on your knee's etc walking down the steep rocks. Caroline lost her footing and ended up hitting the ground hard. She got up but had hurt the top of her leg. Graham told Angela and I to carry on and he would follow up with Caroline.

We laughed and joked coming down, my legs had never stopped cramping from about a third of the way up and I was struggling to climb down the rocks even with my poles because I couldn't bend my knees properly. We were about a third of the way from completing our descent of "The Ben" when Angela rolled over her ankle and hit the deck, she was laughing so no to cry ( exhaustion and pain ), I was trying to get down some rocks and was shouting I'll be there as quick as I can! - it took me ages to get to Angela who was still sat on the floor - we did laugh, she was throwing little stones with temper! hilarious!!! Another bruise and scrape to add to her "playing out legs", the irony of the situation? Angela had actually gone over on a piece of flat ground about 6-8 feet long!

Further down the mountain it was my turn, I had come down a rocky zig and was turning a steep bend to start the descent of a zag when I stood on a rock and my left ankle turned......I actually didn't physically have the strength to stop it happening and down i went. It was all such slow motion, or felt like it....luckily I got my hands off my walking poles to brace for impact. One of my poles ended up under my body and it actually slowed and cushioned my fall. i would have face planted on a rock if not for the pole. My left ankle didn't even hurt, but as I turned over to start getting up my right calf started so I was pulling my toes when Angela said about seeing me go right over on my left ankle and she couldn't believe it didn't hurt! I got more bruises on my arms and that was it really! 

We finally made it back to the visitor centre and Andy and Caroline came in half an hour later. A fantastic but tiring day where each and everyone of us successfully conquered "The Ben".

I want to say a massive thank you to those that came and took on the challenge, it was so worth all the pain and discomfort, I feel so very proud of myself and believe it or not even though the aches and pains are still in the body -- I'm already looking at next years challenge!!

Thank you to everyone who sponsored someone doing this event, every penny helps!

Until next time

Tracy

Further update to money raised on Shave Day!

Hello everyone

We have had more money donated since I announced the total raised for Shave Day - it is now a FANTASTIC £979.52! wow I cannot thank you enough for your generosity. That is a really amazing amount of money.

I thanked Jarrod after and he said he was glad to have been able to a bit to show his support. And once again I thank you all who donated for doing your bit. It means a great deal to War on Cancer and I can promise you it will mean a great deal to those suffering cancer whom it helps.

We are working very hard in the background for various events, not just the Zumba ( which is going to be such fun!! ). We are looking to trying to secure sponsorships for WoC of all levels, and are trying to secure things to put goodie bags together for all the participants for the Zumba.

I will keep you posted on any and all progress regarding sponsorship and any other great news!

Here are some more photos from Shave Day....you will be able to view them in an album on the new website, in the meantime check out a few more here.....or go to the War on Cancer facebook page to see them in sequence.

I'm getting very excited about Ben Nevis --it really is finally nearly here! So June 8th we will be climbing "The Ben" for War on Cancer. I've decided to stay quite a way from Ben Nevis, over at Oban...it's about a hour drive but I think it will be worth it. Hope fully we will get some decent weather ( deserve it after the weather we got for the 2012 Yorkshire 3 Peak  challenge! )

The plan is to relax on Sunday, stretch the legs....try and get a boat trip in to see the Seal colony, hopefully some dolphins, porpoises and if I'm really lucky....maybe a basking shark! - whatever happens camera will be at the ready!

I've started checking and planning my Mount.Kilimanjaro climb for War on Cancer this coming September. I am beyond excited with this, especially after having to delay last year. I will start posting out for about this after Ben Nevis.....going to try for loads of sponsors for Mount.Kili - was hoping the new website would have been up and running and could have showcased it more.

It will be pretty sad to achieve such a feat and only raise a little money for War on Cancer -- anyway still time to crack on. So Ben Nevis will be a nice little warmer for the big one this year. 19,340ft of it!

I will start putting up so Ben facts over the next few days.

Until then

Tracy