Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My brother Robert died of pancreatic cancer ten years ago, precisely thirteen weeks from diagnosis. Like most people, until then I knew very little about what I subsequently learned is one of the most intractable problems in medicine. Fewer than 7% of people diagnosed with the disease live for 5 years or more and only 1% live for 10 years. Although there has been a slight improvement in these figures in recent years, due to the efforts so many people have made to fund research in to earlier diagnosis and treatment, vastly more money is needed.

Pancreatic Cancer UK is a brilliant charity, which was quite new when we first contacted them in 2008, but is now a substantial organisation, performing a vital role in the fight to beat the disease, not least in lobbying for more generous support from the government and other charities. They also provide invaluable assistance for patients and their families.

My family has been involved in all kinds of fundraising activities over the last decade, including various impressive physical feats. As a fairly sedentary manager in classical music I have tended to stick to what I know best, with a succession of classical concerts in London halls. For this latest event however, we have decided to move in to the world of jazz and big band, with the brilliant Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra and guest soloists Amy Dickson, Benjamin Grosvenor, Clare Teal and Giacomo Smith, conducted by Guy. Sir Michael Parkinson will host the evening. All the featured artists are donating their services to the cause and I cannot thank them enough.

The concert will take place at Cadogan Hall, just off Sloane Square in Chelsea, at 7.30pm on Thursday 11th July 2019.

Full details of the concert are available are at www.pancreaticcancerukgalaconcert.com and the concert is on sale at https://www.cadoganhall.com/event/the-guy-barker-jazz-orchestra-190711/ The auction lots will be announced nearer the time. 

If you would like to attend the concert or make a donation in support of our efforts, I would be extremely grateful. So much more money is needed, and there is a long fight ahead, but real progress is being made. Speaking for myself, I continue to do this because if just one family does not have to go through what we did, it is worth it.

This gala concert is a Hazard Chase event in support of Pancreatic Cancer UK. Hazard Chase Limited will donate all net proceeds of the event to Pancreatic Cancer UK, a registered charity in England and Wales (1112708) and Scotland (SC046392).

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.