I've just spoken to Mary. Martin did have his chemo earlier this week, but is struggling with the tablets part of his medication. He is in the Chemotherapy Ward of the General. He is quite ill and feeling very weak, and in a lot of pain. Whilst he would like to see people, it would probably be better if you contacted Mary first to see if Martin would be up to it. It is very hard for both of them. It was just eight weeks ago that all this started. Martin & Mary had no idea at all that this sceptre of pancreatic cancer would appear.

Mary said that they were comforted by the cards, emails, messages and prayers and expressed her thanks. Come on folks, let us raise that level of prayers and positive thoughts up a notch.

Forgive me if my writing appears disjointed, but I'm feeling emotional, and rather helpless. I want to help make things better, as I'm sure you do, but know that there is nothing that I can really do to help except pray.

Just join me in sending love and positive thoughts and prayers to both Martin & Mary.

Sam

Martin Lee writes:

Right Foks,

I'm back in the land of the semi-living and at home. Tomorrow I see the Oncologist specialist at two o'clock and then the specialist nurse at three and from there to Chemo. Many thanks for your prayers and good wishes,.

Love Martin

Latest via Pete & Ali:

Martin was much better on Friday, and if things continue, Martin will be allowed to go home on Sunday for a few hours, and the chemo ddddswoill start on Monday. Come on people, let's all focus anyd send Martin our love! Wish him progress with the chemo.

Sam xxx

Dear Friends,

Martin is still in hospital, and is very poorly at this moment. He's got a hight temperature and is on IV antibiotics.

Please join us in sending love, warmth and caring for him in the ether.

Sandy & Sam

Hello Folks,

Spoke with Stephie Cox late last night and found out that Martin is back in hospital again for further tests. It is not known how long Martin will be in hospital, but I will keep you updated with progress reports.

Please join us in sending Martin our love, hugs and prayers.

Sandy & Sam

Post from Martin Lee:

Just in case I miss out on anyone, I would like it known that all your kind wishes and thoughts are very much appreciated at this time. As you can imagine I spend a lot of time thinking about very little else and it is wonderful to know that there are literally hundreds out there wishing us well. Thank you for being my friends!

Martin

Message from Mary this morning:

Dear Friends,

No real news as yet - still waiting for a start date for the chemo. Martin really wants to see you all but can only really cope with short visits at the moment and the days are a bit unpredictable. So I guess the message is  - please feel free to come but could I ask you to phone first. Meanwhile, phone calls he can handle and I'm sure would be appreciated! Thanks again for all your messages of support and comfort

Much love

M&M and Hugo
xxx

Message from Martin received this evening, after I had written to Mary asking for an update on Martin following their appointment with the oncologist today.. - Sam

Dear Sam,

(Martin answering on Mary's behalf)

Yes, we've just got back from the oncologist and she was very nice and gave us all the gen on the chemo that they want to start me on. She said it shouldn't make me sick or make me lose my hair. I should be starting anytime within the next fortnight with an injection (maybe intravenous drip) and pills (I should soon be rattling). We are keeping everyone informed and all is open so please put any information we give you on websites and FB pages. We are overwhelmed by the response to this news from everyone and thank each and every one of you all for your love and prayers.

Martin and Mary

Message from Mary received this morning:

Dear Friends,

Just to let you all know that Martin is now home. The stent appears to be working well and he is feeling and eating a bit better. We have an appointment with the Oncologist on Monday so will know a bit more about the next stage then. I know he would love to see you all but he is obviously still quite weak and easily tired, so if we could hold the visiting until we get Monday over with. However - we can't tell you how much your E mails, phone calls and good wishes have meant to us both. We have been absolutely overwhelmed by your kindness. If good wishes etc could make him well again he would be capering about like our puppy! Thank you all so much from the bottom of our hearts. Please feel free to circulate this "bulletin" to all who you feel would like to know.

With much love

Martin, Mary and Hugo!

Martin is home now. The first stage of his treatment has been successful. He is ready to take on the fight for the rest. I'm sure I speak for the rest of our folk club when I say that we'll be right alongside you!!

Mary is pleased to report that the stent was successfully inserted yesterday so hopefully Martin will soon start feeling a bit better.

Hello Folks,

We've just had the sad news that our friend and club member Martin Lee has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Mary tells us that this has been complicated by his blood disorder and treatment is proving tricky because of the real risk of bleeding. He is currently on Victoria Ward in Winchester Hopsital but under joint care with Southampton. One attempt to insert a stent has failed and they are trying again a different way this morning. Pray that this one is successful because that will relieve the pressure such that the Jaundice will go, he will feel more comfortable and able to eat again. The plan then is to get him fit enough for chemo which may include the insertion of a filter device for his blood to render it safe. Mary says that the message she would want delivered to his friends is that although overall the prognosis is not good, we really need everyone to remain positive for them. Meanwhile, anyone who felt they could divert him and make him laugh would be much appreciated!

Our thoughts and prayers are with Martin & Mary through this difficult time.

With our love,

Sandy & Sam

NORMAN BUCK

Hello friends,

We have just received the sad news from Anne-Marie that Norman Buck passed away last night.

I'm adding, below, a copy of the email that we've received.

Norman & Anne-Marie were very regular members of the folk club until they moved to Spain a few years ago, and Anne-Marie came to the club whenever she was back in England.

Many of us will miss Norman. May he rest in peace. 

Love,
Sam

From: focus@normandel.plus.com
Date: 22 August 2011 02:56:26 GMT+01:00
Subject: Norman

Norman died last night at 20h30 in Valencia Spain. He had had a heart operation with a good start but it went wrong later on and his lungs were full of water and he left us on the 5th cardiac arrest.

We will have a celebration of his life in music and words on Thursday 25th at 11 am in the crematorium of Gandia near where we live.

Anybody wanting to come we will try and accomodate but we are thinking of doing a celebration in England with friends and members of his family who might not be able to come. I will keep you informed.

We all loved him so much we will miss him.

Anne-Marie

MEMBERS' SUMMER BARBECUE

From the responses that we have had from attendees it seems that everyone enjoyed the summer bbq at Tony and Ruth's farm very much - I know that Sam and I enjoyed it immensely. About 60 people attended the barbecue on the Saturday and a new feature this year was camping for the weekend. There were about 10 units (both tents and camper vans) who stayed over (with 17 people).

Helpers started arriving on Friday from 4pm onwards and without their help we would not have coped. So a heap of gratitude goes out to Pete & Jan Atkins, Robin Kelly, Zak & Linda, Pete & Mo Ward, Dave Betteridge and to new members, Mike & Jan Goodall. By 7pm the 5 gazebos had been erected and the 3 barbecues and large gas bottles, the patio heaters and tables and chairs had all  been placed in situ. (Indeed, special thanks go out to Mike, Robin and Pete A who, between them, erected the new barbecue - we had ditched one of the old ones which was getting a bit worse for wear).

At 7pm we all transferred to the barn where Sam had made various curries and chillis for those who had turned up to help and for those staying over. After the meal we all then had an informal singaround in the barn till 11pm.

Work started again at 10am on the Saturday when we made the salads that needed to be prepared on the day. Only some could be prepared the previous day. Thanks go out to Stephie Heys, Jan Goodall and Mo Ward for their help here. A new addition to the salad bar this year was Ruth Jeffries' leek salad (delicious) and her bulgar wheat dish (can't remember the name but it was very nice).

Thanks also to Jo Savage for shopping for all the bread and deserts on the day (he was worried about choosing the right deserts but I think he did incredibly well). Also thanks to Jan Goodall for her gigantic trifle.

At 2pm song and tune sessions started in the gazebo areas in the garden with MCs Tony Jeffries, Martin Heys and Peter Ward each taking a turn.

5pm till 7pm was barbecue time (with busking for those who wanted to). A special thanks here to Ali Campion, Stephie Heys and Steve Daniels for doing the 'chicken run', ie, microwaving 120 chicken pieces (in batches of 12) and running them up to the barbecues to be finished off. Sam manned the vegetarian bbq, Martin H manned the chicken bbq and Pete C manned the burger and sausages barbecue - so thanks to all of them too.

After the bbq, thanks to all those who helped with the clearing up and washing up, especially Steph H, Sylvia Callagahan, Jan G and Ruth J.

7pm and the singaround session started in the barn with MCs - yours truly, Trevor Jones and Dave Betteridge each taking a turn.

Then at 10pm started the Big Session led by Tony J and Mart H with everyone who wanted to joining in on the stage area with mics for the lead singers. As well as the above named, Tom Callaghan, Dave Betteridge and George Wilson all took the main leads. It was a good, lively session and a very good way to round off proceedings.

Music finished around midnight and then there was a mellowing drink and  chat time in the barn. Now I left about 1am to wend my weary way home to my bed, but I know that Sam didn't get back to the van till 3am - a bit worse for wear - and I did hear rumours of Martin K's hangover!

10 am Sunday morning and work started again dismantling gazebos etc and loading up vehicles, washing up and all the numerous jobs that need doing to leave a place as you find it. Here special thanks go out to Mart & Steph Heys, Mike & Jan Goodall, Dave & Lesley Betteridge, Pete & Mo Ward, Steve & Jaquie Daniels, Rachel Livingstone and Robin Kelly and Roy Eccles and Zak & Linda who all turned up to lend a hand.

I would also like to thank Una Barter, Pete and Jan A and Pete and Barb B  for their offers of help on the Sunday but they all live a fair distance away and we declined as we felt we had enough help. But they did all leave their phone numbers to come out at short notice on the Sunday if required.

By 1pm on the Sunday all the clearing up was done and we were then able to have all the leftovers for lunch and we then all lazed in the sunshine and chatted till early evening when the majority of campers left. The stragglers then had a small song session in Tony's caravan.

Now there is one couple I have not really mentioned here and I've left them till last for without them it would have been a very different affair in our back garden - and that is Tony and Ruth. So, many, many thanks to Ruth for welcoming us to her farm, for using her dishwasher for all the large  items and for supplying some of the salads. Not forgetting Tony, whose contributions to the weekend were largely before the weekend - for clearing out and preparing the barn for us (I know that took several months) and for mowing the large paddock field where we all parked and for fencing off the camping area, for mowing the large gardens and the lake area so that we could all wander  off in peace if we wanted, for erecting the 'pissoire' for the men and for getting in the portaloo. And also for lending us the static caravan for preparing food, making coffee, using the microwave and for the ladies' loo. A huge thank you to both of them from all of us.

Finally, a warm welcome to our newest members, Mike and Jan Goodall, for entering into the spirit of things and who contributed a heck of a lot of help from fixing patio heaters to assembling a barbecue, to cleaning the caravan 'ladies' loo', indeed to turning their hand to doing anything that needed doing.  And all this on their first club event!

It may be that I have forgotten to mention some. If I have then thank you too. A weekend like we have just had doesn't just happen. It requires a  tremendous amount of work. Oh gosh, I forgot to mention Sam who worked almost solidly (shopping, preparing food, finding needed items and transporting them in 4 loads to the farm etc), for almost 24 hours without sleep prior to the event. Thanks to him too. (Why do you forget your husband?)

At the weekend 56 members attended and 5 partners. There were  also 3 people who were not members or partners. So a total of 64 for the barbecue, then in the evening we welcomed some of Tony and Ruth's family for the music.

So, all in all, a very successful weekend and even the weather was with us - except that the wind was cold and blew a bit in the garden onto those outside the gazebos.

The next members only event will be the 'Curry & Ceilidh Night' - date yet to be fixed - we will be notifying you soon.

Love Sandy x

I am writing to inform you of the sad loss of another of our club members, this time my beloved father, Reginald Hutchinson, known variously to you all as ‘Dad’ or ‘Pop’ or Reg!

Many of you will remember that Sam and I were at the folk club summer barbecue on 20^th June this year when we received word that Dad wouldn’t be coming as he had bad back pain. The following day he was taken by ambulance to hospital where various tests identified that he had a slipped vertebra at the base of his spine and spondylosis in the cervical area. A resultant MRI scan showed up another problem - an aortic abdominal aneurysm. From there it was one medical problem after another. After a month in the General Hospital, Dad was transferred to a rehab ward at the Royal South Hants. He was there for 3 months learning to walk again etc but still encountering new medical problems. It was Dad’s wish to return home, so that was what the rehab ward staff were working towards. Meanwhile we were preparing his home to be ‘disabled friendly’,  ready for his discharge.

Eventually on 5^th October he was well enough to be released back home with a 4-times-a-day care package. Sam and I moved in with him full-time on a temporary basis  to check that he was coping ok. He was very, very happy to be home and loved his home’s ‘new look’. On his 6^th night at home he fell out of bed and ended up back in A&E where it was discovered that he had soft tissue damage to his hip so, a day or 2 later, he was transferred back to the rehab ward at the RSH. He was just longing to get back to his home and, as he put it, ‘freedom’.

However, late on  5^th Nov, he had severe difficulty breathing and was rushed by ambulance from the rehab ward to resus in A&E. We had a worrying night, but it seemed that he was eventually ‘out of the woods’ and in the early hours of 6th he was admitted to the Medical High Dependency Unit with fluid in his lungs.

At  8.40pm on Sun 8^th Nov Dad passed away peacefully in the HDU, having suffered heart and renal failure. Dad’s spirit was still strong but his poor old body was worn out and telling him it was time to move on.

Although Dad was 87 and thus had had ‘ a good innings’, he was a huge part of Sam’s and my lives so it is obviously a difficult time for us right now. Please bear with us if we are not up to par in our running of the club at the moment. We are aware that we have been ‘somewhat lacking’ over the last few months.

Finally, I would like to thank you all for the love, warmth, kindness and friendship you so generously gave to my father and for your gentle patience in allowing him (indeed, even encouraging him!) to play his old-time dance-band music on his accordion! He loved coming to the club and spending time with ‘folkies’ whom he thought were ‘far nicer than most other people’.  You gave him a lot of joy and he thought of you all as his friends as well as ours!

I would be grateful if you would please pass on the above information to anybody you feel may have known Dad. Details of the funeral arrangements will be notified as soon as they are confirmed but at present the morning of Friday 20^th Nov is pencilled in.

Sandy

"My dear friends,

I want to take this opportunity to thank you for the loving messages and offers of support I have received from so many of you since Clive's death.  You are part of a huge support network that has come together, and I want you to know that you have all done your part to make me feel comforted and cared about. I appreciate each and every loving message.  

Thank you also for your donations to Clive's charity of choice, Hampshire Air Ambulance, which totalled £610.00.

It's time for me to get out and about and when we meet up, either at the folk club or elsewhere, please don't be afraid to talk to me about Clive - we all need to remember and celebrate his life.  Don't hold back with the positive messages and thoughts which will enable me to move forward.

With much love and appreciation,

Stephie"

Stephie would be very happy to see anyone who wants to come, would be strengthened by their support, and deeply comforted by their presence.

FUNERAL:

East Chapel, SOUTHAMPTON CREMATORIUM (Please click for directions)
Monday 2nd February 2009 at 3pm

RECEPTION:

The funeral will be followed by a short reception at
The Old House At Home, Romsey from 4pm 'til 5pm

TRIBUTES:

Donations to the HAMPSHIRE AIR AMBULANCE in place of floral tributes would be appreciated.

However over the last couple of years Clive and Stephie have undergone an insurmountable number of challenges and their attendance at the club necessarily, but sadly, became far less frequent. The last time they came to the club was on Sunday 4th January to support the guest band Anam Cara. It was on that occasion that Stephie told us that they hoped that things would ease off soon so that they could get back to the club more often and she referred to Clive as 'her rock'.

Clive was a lovely, lovely man who will be sorely missed by many, none more so than his beloved wife Steph to whom our heartfelt sympathies are extended. Our love and thoughts and prayers are with and for you Steph.

Funeral arrangements will be posted here as soon as we hear.

Sandy & Sam