Cancer Support France

Many of you will know Martin Walker, a reporter and a novelist – the author of the popular ‘Bruno Detective’ series set in the Perigord.

We are delighted that Martin, as a long time supporter of CSF, has donated 15 of his books, all signed, to CSF and these will be used for future fundraising.

Thank you Martin for your support and your generous donation.

Martin says about us: – “Cancer Support France provides valuable support for Anglophones living in France who are touched by cancer, be they patients, family or friends. I encourage you to have a look at their website to see what they do and to contact CSF if you think they could help you or those close to you.   To enable CSF to carry out its work, it is always looking for new members and volunteers.  Do contact your local Association or CSF (National) if you would like to be involved.  Or support CSF financially, donations can be made through their website.“

May 2020

Kilimanjaro climbed – Congratulations Julie!
We are delighted to announce that Julie Jarvis successfully reached the summit of Kilimanjaro on 29th February!

She descended safely back down again a few days later. She commented: – “It was pretty tough, and I confess I struggled every step of the way but fortunately the weather was kind and determination won through.”

Everyone at Cancer Support France is extremely grateful to Julie for tackling this for the benefit of cancer sufferers.

Kilimanjaro Climb – days to go
Julie Jarvis is now days away from her climb in support of Cancer Support France.  However, there is bad news for Tan and John. Their doctor has advised them that they should not undertake the climb at this time. This is not due to any life-threatening issue, more a precaution. They are both very disappointed, especially as they feel they are letting people down, but do hope to carry out the climb at a later date. In the short term, they are planning another challenge but have not quite decided what.

They have said that, if anyone who specifically sponsored them would like their money back, they will pay this from their own funds.

Julie will still be going ahead.

Good luck Julie! And to Tan and John, we look forward to you being given the green light – take care in the meantime.

Keep up to date with Julies progress at this link: –
https://www.facebook.com/kandooadventures/?__tn__=,d,P-R&eid=ARBUEgHazJe…

Kilimanjaro Climb – one month to go
Less than a month to go before the brave trio of Julie, Tan and John set off on their expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro!

The threesome are delighted to say they have reached their funding target of €3000.  However, if you wish to donate, they are still collecting for Cancer Support France

They leave from Toulouse on 21st February, and arrive at Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, via Amsterdam, on 22nd. They get set and ready on 23rd before starting the climb on 24th February. If they are successful (fingers crossed!) and get to the top, they will summit on Leap Year’s Day – 29th February. It’s 5 days to complete the ascent and 2 days to get back down.

Their training seems to be going well. They are now walking up to 65 km per week and have been taking on slightly more challenging routes including parts of the Santiago Compostela pilgrim route.

For those of you who are interested, here are a few attachments with regard to their trek to the top of Kilimanjaro.

For an outline of their route, take a look at the following link: – https://www.kandooadventures.com/assets/Uploads/MACHAME-7-ROUTES-Kandoo….

Also, if you wish to ‘follow’ them up the mountain from the safety of your armchair, check out the ‘Kandoo’ Facebook page below, from 24th February. They will publish daily pictures of their journey and hopefully they will be there, and still smiling!

https://www.facebook.com/kandooadventures

Here is a short video of a recent trek up Kilimanjaro using the same route. Take a look!: –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lub7g7f7sw0&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR1Fo…

Finally for those of you who still wish to sponsor them, we attach the link to the donation page: – https://www.alvarum.com/julietanjohn

Kilimanjaro Climb – 2 months to go
Tan and John Forsyth, and Julie Jarvis, have given us an update on their progress towards their Kilimanjaro climb in February (only 2 months to go now!). They are delighted to report that they have raised nearly €2000 so far and are hoping that this will continue to grow over the next few months.

Julie Jarvis said, “A big thank you to those of you who have sponsored us and given us encouragement to keep us motivated and working hard… and we have been working hard!  We are out walking regularly to try and get lots of kms under our belts, getting used to long hikes and improving our stamina. This is crucial for us as we will be walking every day, for 6 days uphill (a slight understatement given we will be climbing to 6000 metres in height … … frightening!!). We are also doing (almost) daily workouts to improve our strength and cardio, plus we have been practising wearing all our gear and using the necessary equipment, including carrying a sizeable rucksack. All of this, in all-weather conditions, and with the recent rain and storms, this has meant us having to climb over fallen trees, navigating around newly formed flood lakes and jumping over raging torrents. All part of the challenge.

There is no slacking for us though, as we still have much to do over the next two months. We have to increase the number and length of our hikes and if possible get some altitude training in too.”

If you haven’t already, then there is still time to sponsor Tan, John and Julie, with all donations going directly to CSF: –  https://www.alvarum.com/julietanjohn 

Kilimanjaro Climb – First instalment

Three people are starting work on the challenge of a lifetime to help Cancer Support France. Tan and John Forsyth, and Julie Jarvis, plan to climb Kilimanjaro next February. They are all working hard with their training, getting all their gear in order and sorting out the necessary arrangements.

Julie Jarvis commented, “This is a life-changing challenge for us but we also wanted every step to count for others too. So we are seeking sponsorship to raise as much money as possible for Cancer Support France, who provide an incredible support and guidance service for those suffering with cancer who are non-nationals and living in France.  We hope you will help encourage us and support this worthy cause.”

Any donation, large or small will all go directly to Cancer Support France and will be processed through Alvarum (a French version of ‘Just Giving’) which makes it easy and 100% secure.
To support them, go to: – https://www.alvarum.com/julietanjohn

Cancer Support France are delighted to have received a donation from the Blevins Franks Charitable Foundation. The Foundation makes grants to local causes and charities as well as to individuals and operates across all areas of Europe with a Blevins Franks office. This grant will be used towards our continuing training programme, in particular, the training of our Active Listeners.

June 2020