Friends and colleagues have helped Marcus raise over £5000 (including the effect of Gift Aid forms filled out by kindly tax payers). The monies have been made over at the end of 2001 to the Gerrards Cross Branch (Mrs. Pat Chapman) of Macmillan Cancer Relief under the auspices of the Bucks coordinating office in Wendover (Linda Wells). How did we do it? Here is the page which appeared at the beginning of the season, and then I managed to get 67 points in the season. Almost everyone coughed up!
 

Would like to help me raise money for the MacMillan Cancer Relief fund? I am asking you to pledge £1 (or less!) per point that I score in the BARC/BRDC Clubmans K Sports 1600 championship 2001. And you can stipulate a minimum and a maximum you would like to donate. I will double everyone's contribution up to a maximum of £1000 from me in 2001. I will publish my racing results from time to time on my web site. The best newcomer in K Sports last year scored 58 points (25 points for 1st place down to 1 for 20th!). So if you pledged £1 per point I score, then you would be due £58 if I scored 58 points. Cheques (if you want to make a pre-emptive donation) should be made payable to Macmillan Cancer Relief, Gerards Cross Branch, and mailed to me at Homefarm Orchard, Chalfont St.Giles, HP8 4LP. As of Friday 2nd March 2001, on the eve of my first race I had secured pledges amounting to £1050 if I score 50 points! A good start. By 17th March it was more like £2000. Thank you. At my first race at Silverstone I scored 9 points. So we are 9/50s of the way to that £1050. By obtaining more pledges I hope to be able to achieve a target of £5000 in 2001. Email me on marcus@bicknell.com to make a commitment.

About Macmillan cancer relief      http://www.macmillan.org.uk/

Macmillan Cancer Relief is a UK charity supporting people with cancer and their families with specialist information, treatment and care.  That support is available from the moment that cancer is diagnosed.

We work closely with the NHS and others to develop and pioneer a network of services for people with cancer, working together so that standards of treatment and care can be improved for everyone. Macmillan's aim is to ensure that everyone has access to the best information, treatment and care, which will make people's lives easier and reduce unnecessary levels of fear.

All of our work is funded by donations from the general public.

Cancer in the UK

Four in ten people are at risk of developing cancer during their lifetime; and
that figure is set to rise.  Around 255,000 new cases of cancer (excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) are registered each year in the UK.

Fortunately, we can do much more for people with cancer than we could
for previous generations and Macmillan Cancer Relief is at the forefront of
developing and improving cancer care in the UK.

Macmillan nurses

At the heart of the charity's work are over 2,000 Macmillan nurses working in posts in almost every local health authority in the UK, based in hospitals and the community. All Macmillan nurses are Registered Nurses with a minimum of five years experience, including at least two in cancer or palliative care. We rely on the generosity of our supporters to fund Macmillan nurses and their training for the first three years. After that the NHS takes over the long-term costs.

Macmillan nurses aim to help patients and their families from the moment cancer is first diagnosed. These early days are important.

"When people first hear the word cancer, they are devastated. They feel shock and disbelief. We try to help them realise what their diagnosis really means and guide them through the many treatment options they may have."

Some specialise in particular cancers such as breast cancer, lung cancer and children's cancers. Others specialise in areas such as chemotherapy - a drug treatment that kills cancer cells - or haematology, which relates to cancers of the blood.  A vital part of a Macmillan nurse's job is to share his or her knowledge and skills with students, other nurses and doctors. In doing this, they help to raise the level of skill and knowledge of cancer care throughout the health service. This means that they can help many more patients than they can reach personally.

For more details go to the Macmillan website http://www.macmillan.org.uk/ or call their information line 0845 601 6161.