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Community. What is a community? These days the word is associated with care homes and hospitals, but does community truly still exist? You would not be blamed for thinking no. Walking past teenagers on the town’s benches, all staring at their phones and the elderly people with no contact for days, it is easy to think that true community spirit was abandoned some time during the 1950s. It saw us through the World Wars, taught people how to muddle through during a crisis, but when we stopped needing it, it fizzled out. If another battle needed to be
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fought, could we find that community spirit again?
In the idyllic Cotswold Town of Chipping Norton, we have found our spirit during crisis. The reputation of Chipping Norton precedes itself, known to be home to the ‘Chipping Norton Set,’ apparently, upper class and up itself. I am holding my hands up to say, it is not true. We moved here a few years ago and yes, I always thought it was a good place to live; picturesque, country-side views, Cotswold stone houses. However, recently, I’ve never known a better community.
At just five years old
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Anna Drysdale was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. In a small town this was a big shock. Anna had grown up with our own children, they run together in the playground, enthusiastically scream with delight together at birthday parties, we watched as a beautiful little girl became frail and heartbreakingly sick. The NHS were amazing, they got her into remission, only for the cancer to return last Christmas. You wouldn’t be able to find a truer inspiration, Anna fought it again, and once more is in remission, but a sad reality
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remains. Now that it has returned once, the chances of it returning again are extremely high, and Anna’s chance for a full and long life lie in a ground-breaking immunotherapy treatment in New York. A therapy that will cost £460,000.
This is the battle a small market town needed to pull together and I am blown away by the community spirit they have found. From the very youngest members to the very oldest, everyone is finding a way to raise the funds that Anna needs. Retirees are playing bowls for a solid 24 hours, teachers are having their hair cut
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(by Anna!), 101 dogs are walking 5 miles of Blenheim palace’s grounds, there are mufti days, hand made goods, hoodies, you name it someone in town probably has it planned. When we look at Anna, we don’t see cancer, we see the little girl we have watched growing up, and we want to see her continue to do so, but we are going to need help. We are a small community and we need bigger people. As I write this the fundraising money stands at £36,244. It is a fantastic effort, but it not enough, we need more. This is a very big plea coming from a very small
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town, help us to help Anna!
This time next year I would like to be writing a blog to thank you for sharing her story, with a photo of our children together, standing shoulder to shoulder with Anna; happy, healthy and returned from her immunotherapy treatment in New York. If you can, donate, if you can’t then just share. Let’s make Britain one big community and let us all be a part of Team Anna! #GetAnnatoNewYork xxx
To donate head to Anna’s Just Giving Page: here
Or find more info at
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Sarah Jarman - 5 Nov 19
Community. What is a community? These days the word is associated with care homes and hospitals, but does community truly still exist? You would not be blamed for thinking no. Walking past teenagers on the town’s benches, all staring at their phones and the elderly people with no contact for days, it is easy to think that true community spirit was abandoned some time during the 1950s. It saw us through the World Wars, taught people how to muddle through during a crisis, but when we stopped needing it, it fizzled out. If another battle needed to be fought, could we find that community spirit again?
In the idyllic Cotswold Town of Chipping Norton, we have found our spirit during crisis. The reputation of Chipping Norton precedes itself, known to be home to the ‘Chipping Norton Set,’ apparently, upper class and up itself. I am holding my hands up to say, it is not true. We moved here a few years ago and yes, I always thought it was a good place to live; picturesque, country-side views, Cotswold stone houses. However, recently, I’ve never known a better community.
At just five years old Anna Drysdale was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. In a small town this was a big shock. Anna had grown up with our own children, they run together in the playground, enthusiastically scream with delight together at birthday parties, we watched as a beautiful little girl became frail and heartbreakingly sick. The NHS were amazing, they got her into remission, only for the cancer to return last Christmas. You wouldn’t be able to find a truer inspiration, Anna fought it again, and once more is in remission, but a sad reality remains. Now that it has returned once, the chances of it returning again are extremely high, and Anna’s chance for a full and long life lie in a ground-breaking immunotherapy treatment in New York. A therapy that will cost £460,000.
This is the battle a small market town needed to pull together and I am blown away by the community spirit they have found. From the very youngest members to the very oldest, everyone is finding a way to raise the funds that Anna needs. Retirees are playing bowls for a solid 24 hours, teachers are having their hair cut (by Anna!), 101 dogs are walking 5 miles of Blenheim palace’s grounds, there are mufti days, hand made goods, hoodies, you name it someone in town probably has it planned. When we look at Anna, we don’t see cancer, we see the little girl we have watched growing up, and we want to see her continue to do so, but we are going to need help. We are a small community and we need bigger people. As I write this the fundraising money stands at £36,244. It is a fantastic effort, but it not enough, we need more. This is a very big plea coming from a very small town, help us to help Anna!
This time next year I would like to be writing a blog to thank you for sharing her story, with a photo of our children together, standing shoulder to shoulder with Anna; happy, healthy and returned from her immunotherapy treatment in New York. If you can, donate, if you can’t then just share. Let’s make Britain one big community and let us all be a part of Team Anna! #GetAnnatoNewYork xxx
To donate head to Anna’s Just Giving Page: here
Or find more info at www.GoTeamAnna.org
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Primarily a Mum, aspiring Author, Freelance Writer and Artist, Blogger, Foodie and Jewellery Designer just having fun doing all the things I love! My portfolio available to view over on my website www.saspsdesigns.com