Vic's Big Stumble

VIC'S BIG STUMBLE - Coastal Way Plus Coast to Coast

Gay and I will be walking the Lancashire Coastal Way (a four day walk from Freckleton to Silverdale) in early May 2016, followed by Wainwright's Coast to Coast Walk (14 days) starting on June 1st. Both events are part of our fundraising efforts for Pancreatic Cancer UK and if you would like to help you can donate on this page:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/

The Coastal Way is largely flat, after negotiating the first tricky few miles along the river bank, but the Coast to Coast is much more arduous, going over the Lake District, the Pennines and the Yorkshire Moors. As I am now officially sight impaired, this will be extremely interesting - I can not walk along a pavement without falling over the hills, and Gay has to point the kerbs out to me.

NEW BANNER SIGNALS ANOTHER ARM OF MY FUNDRAISING FOR Pancreatic Cancer UK

The picture shows Nikki Carter, of 2am, handing over to me the magnificent roll-up banner designed and produced for me by that company as part of their sponsorship of my fundraising.

The banner is to be used at a new offshoot of my fundraising program, in which I do book signings without an accompanying talk. For instance, on Sunday 3rd April I will have a stall at the tabletop sale organised by J&L Events at Newton with Scales Village Hall. I expect to do more such events and will be probably also be found in supermarket foyers, et cetera. Possibly also "busking" in the street. At all these events I will be available to chat about my walks, my talks and my fundraising. And to sign copies of my books.

My fundraising activities are not confined to the Fylde. I have done talks in Cheshire, Yorkshire, Middlesborough and have been asked if I would go to Reading and other "foreign parts".

Please contact me for details.

ANOTHER STRING TO MY FUNDRAISING BOW

Since the last post I have continued to present talks to Probus Clubs, Rotaries, et cetera. I have more lined up, including  several more library talks. Every event raises awareness and funds for the vital work of Pancreatic Cancer UK.

I am also branching out in another direction. I have been asked to take a stall at table-top sales. In fact Gay and I did one, but we felt we needed something to attract people to talk to us. At events like these, I am not giving a talk but rather sitting there with copies of my books - and information about Pancreatic Cancer UK - on a table, and talking to people who come up, about the books, about pancreatic cancer. Some people will take a signed copy of one of the books (knowing that every penny is a donation to PCUK), some will take information about the appalling plague which pancreatic cancer is, and some will give me a lead or even a date for a talk to their club or group. Some will walk on, which is fine.

Clearly we could do more such events, or do the same thing, by arrangement, in supermarket foyers, shopping centres, car boot sales, maybe even in the street.  But as I said, we needed something to attract the punters. Some time ago I homed in on the idea of one of those roll-up banners but they are rather expensive to have designed and produced.

Now http://2ammedia.co.uk/ have kindly offered to make such a banner for me and it is pictured above. It is about 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide. We will be going to their offices on Tuesday for the handover. I am very grateful to them and hope the collaboration will do good things for both their company and for Pancreatic Cancer UK.

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At the age of 70 I walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool.

I then wrote a book about the walk.

I wrote another book, about the 8 years Gay and I lived in Cyprus.

I give talks about the walk project.

All of this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. ALL proceeds of my books also go to PCUK.

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Contact me for a signed copy of either book or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering.

victalksthewalk@gmail.com

Signed copies of the books are also available at any of my talks.

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Get an e-version of either book from Amazon Kindle or iBookstore, Kobo or any of the main e-book websites.

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Make a donation:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/

Vic Talks The Walk Goes Public

I have now given the talk to several organisations, such as Probus Clubs. But this week I deliver it to the first public meeting.

You can be there. The event will be at Freckleton Public Library on Thursday 29th October at 7 pm. Refreshments will be served from 6.30 pm.

See you there.

Two Fundraising Methods

Here Lies A Highwayman (accompanied by his mother)

Another successful fundraising day for Pancreatic Cancer UK​ today. We went to Upholland Probus Club. The talk seemed to go down very well, and the speaker's fee, together with the sale of several copies of my books, duly signed by the author, totalled £135, which has been immediately dispatched to @Pancreatic Cancer UK via my page at JustGiving.

Apparently Upholland was called Holland in the Doomsday Book. They must have changed the name when they realised it was on a hill and was therefore not flat enough.

The last English highwayman, George Lyon, is buried there. He was executed at Lancaster because in those days highwaymen did not enjoy the romantic image they have today. My way of raising funds is much more pleasant.

The picture is of the grave occupied by George and his mother. It is nice that she remained faithful to him in those circumstances.

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At the age of 70 I walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool.

I then wrote a book about the walk.

I wrote another book, about the 8 years Gay and I lived in Cyprus.

I give talks about the walk project.

All of this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. ALL proceeds of my books also go to PCUK.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact me for a signed copy of either book or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering.

victalksthewalk@gmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------

Get an e-version of either book from Amazon Kindle or iBookstore, Kobo or any of the main e-book websites.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Make a donation:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/

First 2016 Fundraising Gig for Pancreatic Cancer UK

St Annes on the Sea

I have been booked for my first 2016 fundraising gig. It will be at the St Annes Probus Club. I could walk there, which would be rather appropriate, except for the little matter of the projector and my other equipment.

I am now rather recklessly hoping that I will, including Gift Aid, have raised £2000 of my £8000 target for Pancreatic Cancer UK by the end of this year and that I will be well into the third thousand by 3rd March, when the St Annes talk takes place.

At the age of 70 I walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool.

I then wrote a book about the walk.

I wrote another book, about the 8 years Gay and I lived in Cyprus.

I give talks about the walk project.

All of this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. ALL proceeds of my books also go to PCUK.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact me for a signed copy of either book or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering.

victalksthewalk@gmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------

Get an e-version of either book from Amazon Kindle or iBookstore, Kobo or any of the main e-book websites.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Make a donation:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/

I borrowed the excellent photograph fromhttp://www.stannesbeachhuts.co.uk/

What I Need Now Are Women

Gay and I are off to Malta tomorrow. It is a long-held objective of ours to follow a visit to Rhodes (we were there last week) with a visit to Malta (never been there). You probably know that when the Turks sieged the Knights out of Rhodes, they went to Malta to start again. After a while the Turks came to Malta to have another go at the Knights, who drove them off. We want to see the similarities or otherwise.

Soon after we return I have a talk scheduled at another Probus club. Each one of these seems to lead to another, which is a natural process, I suppose. It's called networking, isn't it?

I want something similar to happen with WI branches. There are 208,000 members in 7,000 WIs. All the branches have regular speakers and I am sure many of them will find my talk interesting.

So my main objective in the next few months is to get my first "date" with the ladies of the WI. You could help me if you are a member or if you have the right contacts. I have summarised again below, what my talks and fundraising are all about.

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At the age of 70 I walked from the French Pyrenees to Blackpool.

I then wrote a book about the walk.

I wrote another book, about the 8 years Gay and I lived in Cyprus.

I give talks about the walk project.

All of this to raise funds for Pancreatic Cancer UK. ALL proceeds of my books also go to PCUK.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact me for a signed copy of either book or to arrange a talk for your club or any other gathering.

victalksthewalk@gmail.com

------------------------------------------------------------------

Get an e-version of either book from Amazon Kindle or iBookstore, Kobo or any of the main e-book websites.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Make a donation:

https://www.justgiving.com/Vic-Heaney2/