My story

*Update 27th September*

Well the races are over and what fun we had! Ally and his team all finished in the top 20 and I managed a 51.37 time for the 10K. All of the results are available on www.moorpark10k.org.uk and a list of all the runners is at the bottom of this page.

Many many thanks to the Shutes, Lukas, Jerroms, Piepers, Fairleys, Edwards's and Rose-Seniors for providing great support before and during the event and also for supplying a few tasty athletes! I have updated the photos showing you all how we got on.

We are now on the cusp of a whopping £6,000 in donations. If you are new here, there is still plenty of time to donate, so please do: all the money will still go to The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre.

The 25th September was an emotional and inspiring day. Over 1000 people coming together to challenge themselves mentally and physically and in doing so, raising funds for a great charity. It was a genuine pleasure to be part of it; what a superb 14 days! I'm off for a beer...

*Update 25th September*

We are just off to the races with the incredible feeling that you lovely people have donated over £5,000 to the Linda Jackson Macmilan Centre! Thank you so much. WOW!

The response has been nothing short of fantastic and I appreciate all of you for your lovely wishes, donations and for spreading the word (Matt was probably responsible for a grand, himself!)

I will update you all later and let you know how we got on; but we are sure to run faster, knowing how much this meant to you all and for your wonderful generosity...

Hi All,

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I will try and make this brief (difficult to believe, I know!) and I apologise in advance to those who may get upset at the content below.

My son Ally (aged 9) and I are going to race on the 25th Sept to raise some money for a cause that is very close to us right now. We have been training hard for the last 5 weeks and plan to give a good account of ourselves. That's the theory, anyway! 

Back in February this year my wife, and Ally's mum, Lyn, was diagnosed with late stage lung cancer and pronounced terminally ill. Following the shock that came with the diagnosis we set about going on with life as normal and enjoying the ride. Lyn was strong and family life remained fairly unaltered outside of hospital visits.

Unfortunately, after 3 good months, Lyn's condition deterioated and in June and the decision was made to give her urgent radiotherapy to her brain. The effects she felt during this were severe and she had to move into the hospice (Michael Sobel House) at Mount Vernon Hospital to manage her pain and other symptoms. Whilst there her condition worsened and she began to struggle with many actions that most of us take for granted.

For nearly four weeks the team of nurses and volunteers that looked after her were absolutely terrific and never less than inspirational. The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre team provided support, encouragement, care and advice and helped with many challenges that we faced as a family. In particular, they helped Lyn and made her stay so much better than it could have been. From cups of coffee and a chat to haircuts, counselling and advice, the whole team supported her through her ordeal and did all they could to assist.

She is now back at home being an awesome mother and inspirational wife and, of course, the fight to hold the disease back goes on. We continue to get support, as required, from all at Mount Vernon and just knowing that they are there for just about anything, is a source of comfort.

Ally and I hope to raise some money so that the Centre can continue to assist cancer sufferers and their families by providing the wonderful levels of support and encouragement that they gave us all this time round. Every pound you donate will go towards the Centre and be used to help those in the difficult and worrying circumstances that comes with this disease. I will cover the admin costs that arise from using this site.

Thank you so much for reading. Eight weeks ago this race was just a minor passing thought, as we saw the posters on hospital notice boards; on the 25th Sept, Lyn will be cheering us over the finish line, thanks to some wonderful people.

James & Ally X

*UPDATE 20th September 2011

Wow! We got to target this morning and keep going! Thank you everyone for your lovely messages and donations. Ally now knows that he has been sponsored for more than a pound for every metre he runs!

Thanks to the friends that are coming to join us to run on the day and are also doing their bit to raise support and funds for this Centre:

Junior Runners

Niamh Shute

Grace Shute

Bradley Jerrom

Jack Shute

Finn Edwards

Adult 10KM

Ellen Rose-Senior

Matt Shute

Michele Shute

David Luka

Offline Donators

Anne Marie Hutchinson

Heath Waller

Gavin Jones

Rolley

Christine and Ed Pieper

Sapna and Rick Kukadia

Team Mappin & Webb Cambridge

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

My gallery 8

My Teams

My company

My charity

Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre

Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre

Charity Registration No. 1053338

The Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre supports people affected by cancer. At the drop-in centre at Mount Vernon Cancer Centre, people will find a friendly face, a listening ear and answers to their questions about cancer and its treatments. Services also include complementary therapies and counselling.

Donations 148

All the best to you both for the run. All our love to Lyn

Donation by Yvonne, Dennis, Danielle, Nathan on 24/09/11

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

Good luck to you both! Inspirational!!

Donation by Alex, Nicola, Maia & Thomas on 23/09/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Best wishes to all the Cook family.

Donation by Vicky Ziccardi on 23/09/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

Dear James & Ally, best of luck to the both of you for the run on Sunday! Much love, faye xxx

Donation by faye soteri on 23/09/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

good luck x

Donation by sue owen on 23/09/11

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

Good luck James and Ally (James will need all the luck he can get to finish!), best wishes Charles and Alison!

Donation by Charles D'Costa on 23/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Good Luck to you both! Kx

Donation by Kate Stubbs on 23/09/11

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

Good luck to you all - Matt no Lycra mankinis or such things that you are prone to wear!!

Donation by Steven Goulton on 23/09/11

Good luck in the race especially the kids.love to Lynn . Hope to see you soon . Anne Walsh(better known as Michele's Mum)

Donation by anne walsh on 23/09/11

£50.00

windmill.png

Good luck to you all, particularly family Shute. Have a great day, we look forward to hearing all about it.

Donation by Family Lelean on 23/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

All the best on all fronts.... Ed Hammond (Friend of the Shutes)

Donation by Ed Hammond on 23/09/11

Only sorry I'm not joining you......but will be there in spirit. Thinking of you all. Love Nick & Jill Battley

Donation by Nick Battley on 23/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Good luck to everyone, an inspirational cause.

Donation by Goodfellow family on 23/09/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Best wishes to you all, and good luck on the day.

Donation by Chris Mash on 23/09/11

£25.00

+ £6.25 Gift Aid

Good Luck James & Ally and hope you raise lots of money for a very special cause and a wonderful friend, Love Betchley's Quested's & Osbornes x x

Donation by Nicola Betchley on 23/09/11

£50.00

+ £12.50 Gift Aid

Good luck James and Ally!!!

Donation by David & Judy Murray on 22/09/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

Good Luck to you both, although I am sure you won't need it and you will breeze along!

Donation by Lorna Burhouse on 22/09/11

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

Good Luck both of you this could be a new hobby together, you both look like runners with those long legs!!

Donation by Clare, Uttam and family on 22/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Good luck Ally and James.we are looking forward to all the vital statistics from the race being posted up.

Donation by Naheed Sarwar on 22/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

What a truly amazing family you are. Good luck with the run! xx Heather, Tim, Annie & Matty Brassey (and Missy!)

Donation by Heather Brassey on 22/09/11

£30.00

+ £7.50 Gift Aid

Good luck to the Cook's family

Donation by Shuning Shi on 22/09/11

£20.00

+ £5.00 Gift Aid

good luck to you all

Donation by Lynn Tones on 22/09/11

£10.00

+ £2.50 Gift Aid

Excellent effort! Well done to you both. We're looking forward to seeing the pics of you both crossing the finish line (Ally in front, obviously). x

Donation by Francesca, Seamus, Honor & Rufus Smith on 22/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Good luck and well done on taking up the challenge Sunday tennis will be easy after this

Donation by Robin Shacklady on 21/09/11

£30.00

+ £7.50 Gift Aid

Good on you! Remember: it's the winning, not the taking part, that counts. Look forward to hearing how you both get on...

Donation by richard marke on 21/09/11

£100.00

+ £25.00 Gift Aid

Donation summary

  • * Online donations$9,958.18
  • Offline donations$789.13
  • Text donations$0.00
  • Total raised$10,747.30
  • Gift Aid$2,081.70

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