Cancer Support France

Cancer Support France Attends a Royal Reception in Nice.

It isn’t every day that we are contacted by the British Embassy in Paris with an invitation to attend a reception, to be hosted by The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall… and that was only the start of the story.

We accepted the invitation, of course, and on 7th May National President Penny Parkinson, Angela Anderson – President of CS06 Alpes-Maritimes and yours truly as Vice President, presented ourselves at 17h30 at the security access to Villa Masséna. We had been told we were to be presented to the Duchess and were placed in our group (charities and education) on the manicured lawn… and we waited…

… and waited… for two hours! It was a hot evening, there were no seats or refreshments and why was I wearing three inch heels bought that morning? But, it was absolutely worth it. Their royal hignesses arrived and then separated to work their way along the lines of guests assembled along each side of the lawn. We were indeed presented to the Duchess who could not have been more natural or friendly or interested. We had a brief opportunity to tell her about CSF before she moved on to the next group but then managed a longer conversation with her private secretary.

Previously in the day, the royal couple had met survivors of the Nice terror attack last year and had laid flowers at the memorial. They had two other engagements before they arrived at the reception, so I have great respect for the energy and enthusiasm the Duchess demonstrated at the end of a long day. I bet her feet hurt just like mine!

After the presentations, the mayor of Nice spoke of the gratitude of the people of Nice for the support offered by the royal family after the terror attack and during his speech, he made the Prince of Wales a citizen of Nice.

I sometimes wonder what is gained from attending such events; is there a cost benefit? I can definitely say yes on this occasion. To be recognised by the British Embassy for inclusion is a great step forward in our relationship with not only the Embassy itself, but other organisations connected to it.

During our two hour wait, there was the opportunity to speak to so many folks who knew nothing of CSF and, with luck, the local and national Associations will benefit from raised awareness. We also met local groups who were successful fundraisers (there’s a lot of money on that stretch of coast) and again, we are hopeful we will benefit from these new links.

Now all I have to do is rescue the heels of my new shoes.

Pat Lockett, CSF National Vice President – May 2018

We were saddened to learn earlier this week of the loss of Andy Shepherd, the husband of our late Founder, Linda, who died in March.  Andy had been in poor health, not helped by the burden of losing Linda but this news came unexpectedly, bringing a double sadness to CSF in 2017.  Despite retiring as Treasurer in 2014, Andy continued to give support to us all at CSF (National).  His wisdom, quiet humour and positive advice was always welcome.

Margaret York, the editor of Touchlines and former President of Dordogne Est & Lot, says  “I met Andy and Linda at the CSF (National) AGM on March 18th 2010, just after I had become local President. Andy was ‘on the door’ and welcomed me to my first AGM, explaining what I needed to do with papers etc. He was tall, but in no way an overbearing man; he was gentle, quite quiet, very knowledgeable about all things CSF and a stickler for what was right and what was not, in accordance with our Statutes.  Over the years, I found him to be even more knowledgeable about ‘stuff’ outside of CSF and his sense of humour was very dry and very, very funny.

When I approached him about taking on the Editorship of Touchlines (Note: Margaret was the editor for some years, then had a break), he could not have been more helpful and, to this day, I still have the notes I took about how to ‘do it’ and I have referred back to them as I take on the role again. I could say that his introduction to desktop publishing has brought me to where I am today and has been of great benefit.  I felt comfortable being on the National Conseil with Andy there; he always brought a sense of order to proceedings and was the voice of reason.

Andy was a very kind man. He will be missed.”

* Picture was taken at the National AGM 2011. Back Row Gary and Diana Healey (Vendee), Richard Mozley (Riberac), Tony Benstead (Dordogne Sud), Margaret York (Dordogne Est & Lot), Ivan Holliday (Deux-Sevres). Front Row Jane Thomas (National Secretary), Linda Shepherd (National President), Andy Shepherd (National Treasurer).

November 2017

CSF held its second very successful Train the Trainer Day in November at the Toulouse Oncopole.  The following day saw the Trainers’ Conference and finally, on day three, there was a National Committee meeting.  The facilities offered to us by the Oncopole are excellent; there is on-site hotel accommodation and a restaurant which did a special ‘formule‘ for us each evening.  A relaxed dinner was a perfect way to get to know each other.

Now we are in year two and can see the obvious benefits of these three days, we are planning them as annual events.   As President, I was invited to attend all three days and cannot emphasise enough, the benefits gained by these opportunities to share, together. France is a big country and the challenges faced by each Association are different. This gives a chance to appreciate the problems of others and also, to benefit from their support, as we all work towards the same aim of supporting those touched by cancer.

November 2017