If there are two words that should never be used together in the same sentence, it is children and cancer. However, on average, there are almost 2,000 new cases of children’s cancer in the UK every year – an absolutely shocking statistic.

Having each separately gone through the pain and heartache of watching a parent battle cancer and seeing the impact it had on our respective families, the thought of having to do the same with one of our children is not something we can even contemplate. For so many families their worst nightmares come true and they are forced to deal with this awful disease and watch helplessly as their children suffer.

It can’t go on and charities such as My Shining Star (MSS) are a lifeline for those that require emotional and financial support during those dark days. The size of the challenge is enormous and there is not enough practical charitable support available to help with everyday needs and expenses such as: car park and hospital fees, food, accommodation, fuel, travel expenses, housing bills, mortgages/rent arrears, clothing, insurances – the list appears never-ending and the recent pandemic has certainly not helped matters stretching already (worryingly) thin resources to their limits. If a parent is self-employed, for example, one parent could be permanently based in hospital during the treatment process, often for months at a time (upwards of three years), and the remaining parent will need to care for the remaining family members. This can result in loss of businesses and employment. Siblings are often left behind causing emotional stresses/damage, feelings of abandonment, anxiety, jealousy and fear. Although there are many charities who focus on the child diagnosed, MSS specifically we wish to focus on the family as a whole unit, providing more practical support wherever it may be required.

Clearly our support is needed to ensure MSS can continue its amazing work supporting all these families. To do our bit, we shall be taking part in the Virtual London Marathon 2021 to raise money for MSS. Neither of us have run a marathon before so this is an enormous personal challenge but worth every painful mile if it means helping MSS. Given the current situation, we shall be running the 26.2 miles around Medway so keep a look out for us training and on the day itself. Please do give as much as you can as we appreciate every single penny.

We shall be creating a playlist of songs for the challenge so, as an added incentive, with every donation, if you nominate a song we shall add it whatever the genre, era or artist. So be creative!

Thank you

Chris Clark & Tom Gellett