OrchidDIY – News and Supporters
Medics Swim For Orchid
Nottingham Medics Swim Society hosted the Marathon of Conception, a charity swim event involving 20 people at the Nottingham University Swimming Pool. Teams in the event swam the scaled distance a sperm swims to an egg in human fertilisation for 7 hours and raised over £200 for the Orchid Male Cancer Appeal with each team swimming 5600m. Organisations helping the event included Wesleyan Medical Sickness who donated funds; Subway at Beeston, Nottingham donated food for the event; and Blackwells at Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham donated prizes.
Back to the top
Men In Pants Weymouth Walk
The Rotary Club of Weymouth held the inaugural 6km walk for Orchid in October. Under the banner 'Men In Pants' the goal was to raise awareness of the three male cancers; prostate, penile and testicular and to raise much needed funds for research.
The walk started at eleven minutes to eleven, to highlight the fact that men should not leave it to the Eleventh Hour before accepting they have a problem and going to their doctor. 'Men in Pants' was the order of the day with men dressing up in their pants and walking along Weymouth's scenic beach-front.
The walk caught the imagination of the community, local businesses, press and radio. The day was a great success with over 100 walkers taking part, and raising over £5,000 for Orchid.
If you would like to take part in the 2010 event, please contact Anne Ridge at Orchid on 0207 6018486.
Back to the top
Check Yer Nuts!
On Saturday 23rd January 2010 at Tescos in Dudley, Matthew Wakefield and Tony Bishop organised a Testicular Cancer Awareness event with a difference by sitting in a bath full of nuts.
Matt had been diagnosed with testicular cancer in June 2000 after ignoring a small lump for nine months. He had a left side orchidectomy and radiotherapy and ten years later he is a happy, healthy father to twins.
Determined to make men more aware of testicular cancer, Matt organised the 'bath of nuts' event as the best time to check yourself is in the bath.
The day itself was a great success, Matt and Tony managed to raise great awareness to young men and women about testicular cancer and finished the day satisfied with the knowledge that now only had they made a huge impact with regards to men's health but had also managed to raise over £270 for Orchid. Well done Matt and Tony!
Back to the top
Band Supports Orchid
Rough Diamonds are a fantastic four piece banding hailing from Shropshire. They generate energy and excitement everywhere they perform with their hard driving rock beat emulating the sounds of Free and Bad Company.m
Rough diamonds are actively supporting Orchid in 2010 through sales of their latest single and band merchandise. For more information on the band or to hear some of their tracks please visit http://www.roughdiamonds.vpweb.co.uk/
Or alternatively to buy the single contact Ian Law on 07790 133159 or via email to goldcrestmusic@msn.com
If you would like to organise an event in support of Orchid, Rough Diamonds will be happy to play, contact Ian on the above number for more information.
Back to the top
Brothers Reach the Tropic Of Cancer on Their epic Journey
Brothers Jon and Dom Wright have reached the Tropic of Cancer on their 11,000 mile cycling adventure to raise awareness of Cancer. The duo have cycled for over 4 months through Europe and Africa and have arrived safely in India for the next leg of the journey which will take them through India, Asia, Mexico and Cuba before finishing the challenge in Havana.
Jon and Dom left their successful city jobs last year to take on the challenge to cycle along the Tropic of Cancer to highlight the importance of awareness and early detection after Jon was given the all clear from two unrelated cases of testicular cancer.
Using customised Ridgeback Voyager and Panorama bicycles they are cycling on average 65 miles a day sometimes exceeding 110 miles. "It's certainly not easy, we've had extreme weather to cope with, visa issues and unpaved roads and language barriers to contend with but if our challenge can encourage just one person who may fear something is wrong to act on it then it's a huge success".
The brothers are hoping to have raised £100,000 by the time they have crossed the finishing line, Jon also has the added motivation of a fairytale wedding having asked his fiancé to marry him in the Caribbean once the challenge is finished. With successful fundraising parties and sponsorship already having reached over £10,000 they are well on their way. "We have some exciting opportunities we are currently exploring with some strong high street brands which we hope will drive further awareness" Dom added. It is hoped further sponsorship will be raised from corporate and individual donations;
"it's obviously more of a struggle in terms of sponsorship given the current economic climate but we are determined to make a success out of the TCC Challenge"
To sponsor the boys please visit http://www.justgiving.com/tccchallenge
Back to the top
Carping for Cancer 2009 - Broadlands Lakes
A fishing match aptly named 'Carping for Cancer' was deemed a true success by all that participated. The weather may have been a contributing factor towards putting off all but a few hardened anglers but even so, as a group managed they managed to raise in the region of £2000. As well as the actual match, the social side of the event was also a success, a great time was had by all and the reception they got from both the fishery staff and other anglers fishing at Broadlands was very pleasing. They raised £82 in contributions from non-participating anglers who were clearly excited about the prospect of participating in the next event.
Carping for Cancer 2010 Event
Main Event - Great Linford Lakes
Great Linford Lakes have very kindly offered us the use of their Blackhorse Lake, completely free of charge!
Dates are 12pm Friday June 25th - 12pm Sunday June 27th
1st Prize is a one week Carp fishing holiday in Gran Canaria for two!
All anglers attending will be required to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship for Orchid Male Cancer Appeal, this is payable prior to the event, or on the day. (this is because, unfortunately, not all sponsor monies were paid after the 2009 event) Sponsor forms will be available to download from www.carpingforcancer.co.uk very soon, please check back at regular intervals, more info to follow
*This is a members only event. Becoming a member is completely free and painless, just drop us note via the 'Contact Us' page (www.carpingforcancer.co.uk/contact.htm), we will send you a reply asking for a few details and pictures, then we will upload you to the site as a member. (There are 40 places available, which will be offered to the first 40 members)
Back to the top
On Saturday 18 July 2009, Jeremy and Shaun Roberts, Darren Sharpe, Steve Cox, Bryan Musk and Murray Palmer embarked on a mammoth 563 mile cycle ride from Le Mont St.Michel on the northern coast of France to Narbonne Plage on the Mediterranean coast. During the 2 (very wet) and 5 (very hot) days and some gruelling hills the group cycled tirelessly to reach their destination. Orchid would like to thank the group for their fantastic efforts in raising over £2,500 to help fight male cancers – Well done!!
Back to the top
Congratulations to the Shooting Orchids!
Monday August the 31st saw 10 Shooting Orchids ride into Samoens after 7 days and 700 miles, the culmination of a year long project.
The ride had started off from Hampton, London, at 5am and 6 degrees. Spirits were high as they had found out the night before that they had passed their target money raised of £20,000 for two great causes, Orchid Cancer Appeal and Shooting Star Children's Hospice. The first day was relatively uneventful and the adrenaline helped the miles pass quite quickly. Not quick enough to get to their boat on time however, as the Dover MP wanted to chat and take a few pictures with them!
Days 2 and 3 were undulating and took their toll on all riders. By the end of day 3 however they had broken the back of the journey, and ate up the miles skirting around Paris and heading towards the Jura Alps.
Days 4 and 5 turned out to be the quickest of the week, allowing them as much rest as possible after each day in the saddle. Day 6 however, was gruelling! Long, steep inclines and too many hairpin bends to mention. They struggled up the hills to the soundtrack of Top Gun, as one of the riders had strapped speakers to his bike! It turned out to be a gentle warm up for Day 7, as they headed into the Alps. 7 peaks in 76 miles tells its own story. As the day wore on however, the pace quickened as they knew they were close to the end, and close to completing the challenge that had seemed impossible 6 months ago.
Looking back on it now it was the best experience they had undertaken, and undoubtedly the most worthwhile, as so many people get to benefit as the result of their ride. It was a huge inspiration to them throughout the week to know they were going to help change lives for the better.
Now that their legs are (mostly) recovered, they are looking for their next challenge! All ideas will be considered so please get in touch via their website at www.shootingorchids.co.uk
Back to the top
