So proud of my great friend Lynsey running the Liverpool Marathon in memory of Jess and raising funds for Children with Cancer UK. Another amazing achievement to add to the growing list of Team Jess accomplishments! Thanks Lynsey !
London Marathon!
In her short 8 years, Jess never made it to London, but I know she would have loved the bright lights, the buzz and the omnipresent activity that tells you you’re in a vibrant city like no other.
Yesterday, we were lucky enough to take a trip down. Not only did we love seeing all the sights, but we also loved saw the preparations for the London Marathon today, a race at which a couple of people I know are kindly racing in memory of Jess. Massive thanks to Richard Cooke, dad to a couple of lovely girls who went to school with Jess, as well as Paul Taylor, who knew Jess since she was just a few days old. If anyone wants to add to their already amazing fundraising for Children with Cancer UK and CCLG in memory of Jess, you can visit their links here.
Sheffield 10k – We Did It!
Well given the minor curve ball of the pandemic, the Sheffield 10k has been more than a bit of a long time coming! More time to train you might think…and indeed that is very true…but it also meant more time to age and pick up a few injuries too! But we weren’t going to let those stop us! And whilst I might not have crossed the finish line in the most elegant of styles, I was so proud that we all made it through and raised over £5,500 for Children with Cancer UK. Massive thanks to this amazing bunch for running with me. Jess would have loved it and she definitely would have wanted all the after race goodies for herself too; the medal, the T-shirt and the no doubt the non alcoholic beer as well! 😂 This is most definitely one running medal I will treasure with pride. 🏅
What a Lovely Westerton Day
We loved popping back to Westerton for the day to take part in the Team Jess Westerton Marathon. It was great to see some familiar faces from years gone by and to run with a Jess’ old class under perfectly ordered skies! Just to top it off, a whole lot of money was raised for Children with Cancer UK too.😀. I think all the children and the school did themselves incredibly proud. Thanks Westerton – what a great achievement – I know Jess would have loved it.
Go Westerton!
Jess’ old school are running 21 marathons! Yes that’s right – a marathon per class! How amazing is that?! Thanks Westerton – It’s a super way to help remember Jess and raise money for Children with Cancer UK at the same time. I know she would love the idea just as much as we do. Good luck everyone!
Jill Weaver is fundraising for Children with Cancer UK (justgiving.com)
Book Launch!
Now also available for digital download on the Kindle Store!
Never ever did I think I’d find myself writing a book; yet here I am! I couldn’t be prouder to launch In Our Shoes, a short poetry book telling Jess’ story as we journeyed through her illness and then began to tackle the heartbreaking process of bereavement.
I’ve very much kept the project under wraps as I’ve navigated the unchartered waters of getting a book published, so I imagine I’ll have a fair few surprised friends to hear of the news; mischief that Jess would definitely have approved of 😀!
It’s available to buy on Amazon, with all profits being donated to Children’s Cancer Charities. I can’t promise it won’t bring a tear to your eye, but if you can spare a bit of cash and would like to have a read, you’d be helping a good cause. Click here to see more.
Totaliser Still Rising!
After what feels like a never ending lockdown 3, Christmas seems like a very distant memory, even though only really a matter of weeks ago. So it was lovely to hear from Jess’ old school yesterday, with news of their amazing Christmas jumper fundraising in memory of Jess for Children with Cancer UK. Another £626.80 to add to the totaliser is an amazing result! Thanks Westerton, and so heartwarming to hear that Jess’ memory lives on with you too.
School Fancy Dress Day!
Jess would be proud of her friends and teachers raising a fantastic £384 for a Children with Cancer UK by holding a fancy dress day at school. Jess loved dressing up, here’s a photo with her brother when they dressed up as Where’s Wally for World Book Day a few years ago. Ironically, it was the Where’s Wally Books that took Jess’ mind away from the blood tests in the early days. Thanks Westerton, fantastic effort!
Day of Memories – Thankyou Candlelighters
Today was the first ever Day of Memories that I’ve attended. I’ve been invited to a couple of, ‘remembering days’ held by other groups since Jess passed away, but never quite felt in a place where I could go. But I felt different about today’s event, held by Candlelighters. For the month of Jess’ illness , I saw more of the Candlelighters and hospital team than anyone else I know. And whilst being in hospital is no fun for anyone, the team really did do their best! I will never forget the kindness shown by such a fabulous team, so it felt fitting to join their event. All the same, I was apprehensive about what to expect. Like the other families, watching the event meant we are part of a club that no one ever wanted to be a part of in the first place, and to be honest I wondered if remembering so many lost children would be too much; one loss is tragic, never mind more. But I was surprisingly comforted by the Day of Memories, the unity of it all and of seeing some familiar faces who looked after Jess so well when she was in hospital.
With it being my first event. I can’t comment on the differences between a virtual event and an in person one, but it running remotely meant complete strangers were spared my rather unattractive ‘bawling my eyes out’ look, so that part was probably a benefit . 😀 It was nice to see other people’s memories and to write my own tribute in the memory book too. I lit my beautifully fragranced candle and made a Jessica bracelet. It’s the first time I’ve done anything remotely like that since Jess was here in person, and it reminded me of times we used to sit and do things like that together 😀. When we chose to support Candlelighters with fundraising shortly after Jess passed away, I knew how valuable your service was and how much we’d already benefited from you being there in the short time Jess knew you. Today only reinforced my sentiments. Thank you for all you do. ❤️
Gaming event
So very proud of Oli and Ben gaming for 12 hours straight to raise money for Children with Cancer UK. No doubt Mr Weaver will be blogging about it (when he’s recovered!) but 3 hours in and both boys seem to be having a great time, smashing the original £500 target. Oli’s take on the event is “This gaming event is insane, but can you get me some more food, mum” (he better not get used to this room service delivery!). Meanwhile Ben reports, “It’s decent, a new challenge for my body but not impacting me at all”. It’s great to see both boys getting involved for such a good cause, and I’ll happily spend all day as chief runner, leaving Russell to make odd guest gaming appearances (any excuse to harness his inner child again)! That said, with comments like “I think after this I’m ready for my actual Grand Prix debut”, it’s a good job this is only a day long event! Well done boys, proud of you all.
https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jill-weaver2