Doug Forsyth has raised over £600 for Ducks & Drakes with his sponsored beard shave! 

Thank you Doug for your support of the Trust. 

You can donate to his fundraiser here

​The Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust has donated £3,000 to Dorset County Hospital’s Fortuneswell Ward to fund additional facilities for each of the five single side rooms on the ward.

Jane Weeden and Richard Drake met with members of staff from Fortuneswell Ward on 7 December to present their cheque for £3,000 and discuss the project further. Simon Leaton, the Fortuneswell ward clerk, had originally proposed the improvements to the ward’s single rooms to Ducks and Drakes. The new equipment will also make these rooms more suitable to be used as end-of-life suites if needed. The proposal was for the funding of additional features including TV monitors with integrated capability to play music, videos and other sounds and lighting visuals. Family and friends of patients using the rooms would also be able to bring in their own photos and music on USB sticks.
Younger patients would be able to use the screens to connect to games consoles if they wished. In addition, the donation has funded portable DVD players, DAB radios and DVDs to be used alongside the new equipment.

Jane Weeden from the Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust said,
“We are so pleased to donate this money to the Fortuneswell Ward, which does such a fantastic job in looking after local cancer patients. We hope that funding the technology to allow patients and their families to enjoy family photos, music, games and videos will make a small but positive and comforting difference during extremely challenging times.”

Simon Pearson, Head of Charity and Social Value at Dorset County Hospital said,
“This is an incredibly generous donation from the Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust which will make a real difference to the patients who use these rooms and also to their families. In particular it will enable patients to enjoy the photos, sights and sounds that have special significance for them.”

Simon Leaton said,
“We are a dedicated team on Fortuneswell ward who are always looking for ways to improve the environment for our patients. We really appreciate this help which will mean a lot to anyone using those rooms at what can be a very difficult time.”
​
The Fortuneswell Ward cares specifically for patients with cancer and malignant haematology disease. For more information about the work of DCH Charity please visit www.dchcharity.org.uk or email charity@dchft.nhs.uk

John Calway from Dorchester, was diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer a year ago, aged 42. The cancer is now Stage 4 with spread to his lungs, it is sadly incurable.
 
A few months ago, John decided to book a Wing Walk to raise funds for Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust, having previously raised funds for the charity at a local gig that John and his wife, Sarah were involved with.
 
Finally, over a year after booking the wing walk and after a rollercoaster of ups and downs with the cancer and various treatments, John got on the plane.
 
“It had previously been cancelled due to the plane breaking, which didn’t fill us with confidence, so we were pleased to arrive on the day and see that the plane appeared to be in full working order! The weather wasn’t great, we arrived at the airfield in rain and lots of cloud so it was doubtful whether it would go ahead. There was lots of waiting around, which allowed extra time for John’s nerves to build. He doesn’t like flying at the best of times, so this took an enormous amount of grit and determination. I think the worst bit was when he was going down the runway preparing for take-off and again when he was landing. He also hadn’t been prepared for quite how cold and windy it was going to be up there!” says his wife, Sarah.
 
“He was delighted to have done it, said it was an amazing experience, slightly daunting but exciting and for a great cause.”
 
So far, his JustGiving page has raised over £4,000 and you can still donate here:
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/john-calway
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What an incredible DUCKFEST22!! Thanks to all our fantastic supporters, sponsors, stallholders, bands and tireless volunteers, we raised £14,017!!!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!
​
This funding will go towards supporting young bowel cancer patients in Dorset.
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#DUCKFEST22

BIG THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
​

We received this lovely message of thanks from Sarah Balchin at Weldmar Hospice Care, which we wanted to share as without you we couldn't support such a great cause!

"Firstly, I would like to thank you and all the team at Ducks and Drakes for all the extremely generous support we have received over several years and particularly the £10,000 donation earlier this year for vital medical equipment needed in the IPU.
 
Your support, once again has meant we could order new equipment which is needed  and I can confirm that all the equipment has now been ordered and most has been delivered.
We have had various delays in obtaining the necessary equipment with supply being the biggest but we have fingers crossed the last piece will be with us very soon.
 
We just wanted to update and thank you again for all your support. We really do appreciate all you do to support us."

FEELING  BETTER
with
Abbigail Langstone- Wring. BSc
FETC  MAR  DHom  CSCT  MFHT  MCThA
 
www.dorsetclinicalreflexology.co.uk
I am fully vaccinated and my practice covid secure to offer treatments including Vega/Homoeopathic follow- up  appointments for existing patients and to accept referrals. Specialising in Clinical Reflexology for cancer patients.
 
No age limits to festival fun
I can’t believe it has taken me to reach the ripe old age of 60 + to experience the wonderful atmosphere of a music festival. The attached photo shows the Dorset County Hospital Clinical   Reflexology team enjoying a “breather” at Duckfest 2022. This annual Ducks & Drakes Cancer Trust fundraising event is a well organised and fantastic family friendly event held over 2 days at Hinton Farm Charminster (5/6 Aug).
 
We arrived and set up our gazebo and began booking people in for taster sessions of                   reflexology over the two days. From children to young people and adults, those that were                     reflexology devotees and those that had never experienced reflexology before. So impressed were they all with their experience that an amazing amount of purple -coloured donations were popped into the collection tubs.
 
For those of you that may not have come across this local charity a little background.
Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust is based in Dorset and was founded by Andrew Drake and his family following the bowel cancer diagnosis of Andrew aged 24.  Ducks & Drakes Cancer Trust was registered with the Charity Commission in 2012, No: 1147024. The Trust was founded to:

• Create awareness of bowel cancer in young people, aged 18 to 30 in Dorset and the UK
• To support bowel cancer patients and their families through the provision of specialist equipment and financial aid
• To fund specialist nurses in Dorset County Hospital, specifically in the Colorectal    Department and provide financial support for equipment and the new cancer unit at the hospital.

 
The Ducks and Drakes Cancer Trust donated 5,000 last year (2021) and a further £5,00 in Aug this year 2022 to the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust ringfenced for the Clinical Reflexology Service we provide at Dorset County Hospital. I set up this unique service model in 2014 it now operates with a team of three exceptional therapists five days a week. Cancer patients are referred by clinical staff or can self-refer to us from the Fortuneswell ward, chemotherapy unit and Robert White radiotherapy            centre at Dorset County Hospital. The service aim being to help patients cope with anxiety and the side effects of cancer treatments. Over 8,000 patient feedback data identified patient concerns of  Anxiety, Pain, Swelling, Nausea, Fatigue, Breathing, Peripheral Neuropathy and Sleeplessness  decreased in severity following Clinical Reflexology treatment.  These results provide evidence of the therapeutic and beneficial effect of Clinical Reflexology supported by evidence of the safety and  efficacy of the treatment we provide. 
  
Will I attend this festival again ?    Of course………..I have already committed myself to next years  Duckfest. Proving that you are never too old to try something new !  So if any of my readers visit this wonderful event in 2023 please come and see me, experience Clinical Reflexology and put a                donation in the pot so this much needed charity may continue it’s worthwhile work.
 
Contact  Tel 01305 784986.   abigailwring@btinternet.com    www.dorsetclinicalreflexology.co.uk         
Abbigail is fully qualified, insured and DBS checked with over 30yrs professional experience specializing in Clinical Reflexology, Nutrition, Homoeopathy and Counselling. Author of “Holistic Health Tips” available from Buena Vista Gypsy Lane Weymouth Dorset DT4 0BZ. £9.00.inc p&p
​

What a massive success, DUCKFEST22 was this year!

We would like to thank everyone who came, along with our sponsors, supporters and volunteers!!! 

Read the Dorset Echo Press release

Gallery of photos are available HERE

We had a brilliant day at the recent Clayshoot in aid of Ducks and Drakes. 

With 145 entries, we raised £3,694.91!!!

Thank you to everyone who took part and our wonderful sponsors for making the event such a huge success.

The Winners:
Top Man MATT GARDNER 48
Top Lady RUTH MARKHAM 40
Top Veteran SID 41
Top Junior CAITLIN GALE 36
Top Flush RED HERRINGS 86
Top Pool MATT & SID (equal)
Top Lady Team THE QUILLS 123
Top Mens Team RED HERRINGS 148

Our fantastic event sponsors:
-P HISCOCK
-C & O TRACTORS
-J FRAMPTON - GUNSMITH
-J FOOT - CONTRACTOR
-GULLIVERS - FENCING
-A FRIZZELL - LIVESTOCK HAULAGE
-DUFFIELDS - ANIMAL FOOD MERCHANTS
-SYNERGY VETS
-JOHN SPADEMAN AND TEAM
-BRACE OF PHEASANTS
-GREEFIELD GUN MAKERS
-NIGEL CHURCHILL - MOBILE ENGINEER

​Jane Weeden, Trustee and Treasurer of Ducks & Drakes Cancer Trust, was delighted to handover a cheque for £5,000 to David Evans, Chairman Fortuneswell Cancer Trust & Abbigail Langstone Wring who runs the Clinical Reflexology Service.

This money will go towards Reflexology treatments to patients in the Robert White Radiotherapy Centre at Dorset County Hospital.

"Thank you very much for your generous donation of £5,000 towards the funding of the Reflexology treatments offered to patients at Dorset County Hospital by the Fortuneswell Cancer Trust.  This treatment helps to make a huge difference to a many local cancer patients and we thank you on their behalf".

Thank you to all our supporters for helping make a difference to cancer patients lives in the Dorset area.