What would Andrew Reeves do about Steve Jobs cause of death?

One of my first thoughts about the fact that Steve Jobs died yesterday of pancreatic cancer is that I'm sure Andrew Reeves would have used the fact that he too lost his dearly beloved mother to the same disease as a really from the heart plea for people to donate to research into one of the most virulent types of cancer that there is.

How am I so sure, because he chose the day that was his mother's birthday earlier this year to get married to someone else he loved immensely, his dear husband Roger. He even mentioned his mother's disease on that day.

He of course wrote about the first Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Week back in 2009. When he mentioned some of the really heart breaking facts:

• Pancreatic cancer only has a 3% survival rate, that hasn't improved in forty years.
• It's the 5th most common cause of caner death in the UK
• Survival rates for pancreatic cancer are extremely low – 4-6 months on average after diagnosis, with the 5 year survival rates less than 3%.

He may of course have told you all how almost a year ago he took part in a 10k race at Hopetoun House, largely because the charity he was being asked to run with Bev, Elspeth, Siobhan and Fiona was Cancer Research. It may have been only 1 hour 19 minutes of his life, and he would have easily rattled off several blog posts about pancreatic cancer in that time, but is was an period of time he was proud to have given to the cause.

However, of course I'm not 100% sure what Andrew would have been doing as soon as he learnt of Steve Jobs death. All I can guess is that he would have made a plea for pancreatic cancer.

That is why most of all and no matter what he would have used today and the sad news of Steve Jobs death to the same disease to highlight two worthy charities dedicated to pancreatic cancer, Pancreatic Cancer Research Fund and Pancreatic Cancer UK.


So as Andrew is no longer around to ask you to do it yourself let me on his behalf say, although the death of Steve Jobs from pancreatic cancer is a terrible loss, so to is the next person to die of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, please give generously and if you are able please give with gift aid as well so that the tax you've paid on your donation is also given to the cause. How to donate.

Children in Need Tonight

It is Children in Need tonight on BBC1 and BBC2. There was one year I recall not actually watching the programme, the reason was a valid one I was at the old BBC Scotland headquarters on Queen Margaret Road, Glasgow and my partner at the time had volunteered to help out behind the scenes.

However, to get us in the mode for this years what better way that last year's official single, which in the best tradition of charity singles brought together a whole gumult of stars, in this case plasticine, or celluloid or computer animations. Well done to Peter Kay for coming up with the concept.

Going Nowhere Fast

I'm not sure how long they were going for or how long they still had to go but yesterday as I got into Waverley Station wanting to go somewhere, in my case home, I found these two going nowhere fast.

They were doing so to raise money for Children 1st the charity looking to provide a happy, healthy, safe and secure future for every child in Scotland. I hope they raise plenty of money to add to my small donation.

As I said I don't know how long they had left, but at least they were smiling when I asked for a pic.

Comic Relief Give Them a Call

Well I'm up in Perth at the Scottish Liberal Democrat conference. At the moment I'm probably mingling or in one of this evenings fringe events so I am missing the goings on of Comic Relief in more ways than one.

Working as I do in a call centre the faceless people at the other end of the phone during telephons are not that faceless when you know what the job entails. For events like this people will have volunteered their evening to help out the charity in question. Well this evening some of those many the telephones will be even less faceless as I'll be able to put names to some of them as our call centre is one of those taking the calls. So people I see on a daily basis may well be taking you call.

Now that you know that you really have to call 03457 910910 or visit www.rednoseday.com/donate go on you know you want to.

Sergeant Quits: Children in Need May Lose Out

****NEWSFLASH****

Political correspondent John Sergeant had put away his sequins, will click his dancing shoes for one last time on Satruday but will no longer be asking for the votes of the public. The reason is that the political correspondent has walked away from Strictly Come Dancing claiming winning would have been "a joke too far". Heaven forbid that he would ever have got that far, but there you go.

The man himself said he saw "no viable 'stop Sergeant' candidate". However, one possible downside of John walking away from the dance floor, may be that the BBC reimburse those who called to rang to keep Sergeant in the contest. A proportion of this money was to have gone to Children in Need so if as a result of him walking rather than being voted off the BBC are obliged to reimburse this money that will be a big hole in the money the show has garnered thus far.

His partner Kristina Rihanoff who has been hauled across the floor like a sack of potatoes or as the recycling being put out according to judges and celebrity fans will have one last excursion with him on Saturday but he will not be up for the vote.

West Lothian Marathon

It's amazing what you can stumble across purely by accident or through google alerts to be honest. The end result is that I'm considering coming out of retirement to take part in the inaugural West Lothian half marathon next May.

As the initial even it to be held in Bathgate, I shouldn't have far to go to the start line. So I'll be dusting off buying new running shoes. It will be the first time in ages I'll have run for charity (other than the entry fee) and the charities that I would run for would be Marie Curie and Cancer Research in memory of my dad. I had actually been considering some sort of charity run or cycle for these organisations since I've been fit enough to do something, and this one looks like the ideal first steps to do something at my own (rather slower than before) pace.

I'll be adding the site and blog for this event to my blogroll.

Hats Off to Alex Salmond

Watching BBC's Children in Need to other day I have to say hats off to the First Minister for his take on Ricky Fulton's creation the Rev I.M. Jolly for this year's cause. Definitely the man has a sence of self deprecation which is good to see. Well worth a look at.