Today, 4th of November, Paul would have been 67 years old. Not a day goes by when I (we) don't miss him. This year I have become a Trustee of a newly formed charity and my involvement in that all came about because of Paul. With that in mind I have decided to put a twist on the Stand up to cancer challenge of 'sweating every day for 30 minutes, for 30 days'. I am undertaking this but will challenge myself to maintain 70-80% of my maximum heart rate for the whole 30 minutes, every day. I will monitor the exercise using MyZone and give proof online.

Bowel Matters is the charity formed on behalf of the group Bowel Cancer Support Group UK. This Facebook group has been going since 2020 and is a support lifeline for people who are either facing a diagnosis of bowel cancer, are going through treatment, have gone through treatment plus their families and loved ones. This group is nearly 8,000 people strong now, they 'know', they are there for other people in their position with a unique insight.

These people can communicate about Bowel Cancers (there's not just one type) with 'lived experience' and, thankfully, that is what the medical profession, the researcher organisations and the decision makers are looking for right now. They are patient advocates and their voices are desparately needed. They can influence future treatments based on their 'lived' knowledge. Imagine being invited to speak at a conference, on behalf a whole cohort of people and to have the opportunity to input into changing future medical treatments but to be hampered by something as simple as travel costs.

One of many reasons that Bowel Matters was formed was to enable patients to advocate and help others, its an incredibly valuable service.

I'm raising money for Bowel Matters and your contribution will make an impact, whether you donate a lot or a little. Anything helps. Thank you for your support.

I also have a Facebook fundraising page.