Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.

UPDATE:

2 November 2009 - Memorial Service in the UK

A memorial service to celebrate Derek's life will be held on the 12 December 2009 at 11:00 hrs at Christ Church in Old Road East, Gravesend (close to Echo Square, opposite the Convent School), Kent. After the service we will meet at the Windmill Tavern, 45 Shrubbery Rd,Gravesend, DA12 1JW, one of Derek's favourite haunts, where we are sure many happy memories will be recalled.

27 October 2009 - Heartbreaking News

It is with great sadness we bring the news that Derek is no longer with us, but that he will remain forever in our thoughts. He fought a long, hard and brave battle over the past 12 months and despite having many setbacks, that he somehow always overcame, he sadly passed away in the early hours of the 26 September. He inspired us all with his courage and determination and we are proud to have had him as a Father and Grandfather.

We received the sad news as we prepared to undertake the 10K sponsored walk in Hyde Park raising awareness for the Mouth Cancer Charity. We were devastated by this, which made us even more committed to participate and to celebrate his courage, spirit and determination to overcome his condition.  We completed the Course in just under 2 hours, walking with survivors as well as family and friends remembering their loved ones who sadly had lost their battle. Please take some time to read the information below and also to look at the Charities website, awareness is crucial in identifying a potential problem early.

The cancer can occur in any part of the mouth, tongue, lips, throat, salivery glands, pharynx, larynx, sinus and other sites located in the head and neck area. These 'Mouth Cancers' have a higher proportion of deaths per number of cases than breast cancer, cervical cancer or skin melanoma.

In its very early stages, mouth cancers can be almost invisible making it easy to ignore. You can improve your chances of survival if the cancer is detected early and rapidly treated.

It is important to have a self-awareness and to perform regular, self examinations to help in the early identification of common symptoms, please have a look at the website for more information:

http://www.mouthcancerfoundation.org/ 

Last year we raised close to £3,000.00 for the Charity and would very much like to try and match that feat again.

Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor us: Mouth Cancer Foundation Limited gets your money faster and, if you are an UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation.

So please dig deep and donate now.

Pamela's contact details are:

Pamela Sparling

Edificio Montana,

Apartment 2A,

Praia D'Ana,

Lagos 8600-604,

Portugal.

Tel:00351282768893

email: sparling@sapo.pt

Skype: sparlingpt

My contact details are:

Anthony Sparling

18 Watts Avenue

Rochester

Kent

ME1 1RX

Tel: 0044 1634 406586

Mobile: 0044 7825 971 577

email: tonesparling@aol.com