Hi there,

Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.

On 2nd August I'll be running the Jane Tomlinson 10k in York, in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support and in memory of my grandad, Les Tirebuck.

Macmillan helped my grandad and our family when he was diagnosed with an incurable kind of cancer in 2004 (mesothelioma - cancer of the lung lining and often caused by exposure to asbestos decades before).

In the earlier stages of his illness, their nurse service meant he was able to go to St Catherine's Hospice in Scarborough one day a week. He could meet with other patients and also give my gran a break from caring for him. He was interviewed on local radio at the time - it was humbling and heartbreaking to hear him say how much he valued this service as he "didn't want to be a burden" on my gran.

In life, grandad was an active soul. He cycled into Scarborough and back (round-trip 7 miles) until the age of 86. In his career, he was a police inspector and a top-flight football referee. He started his journey to being yelled at by 50,000 people on the terraces by refereeing games on navy ships in the Far East during WWII. He helped liberate Singapore and the prisoners in Changi jail (which I've since visited on my travels).

Grandad was the kind of guy that people listened to. Firm, fair, and with a heart of gold (although many of those football crowds may have disagreed ;) ).

He passed away peacefully in St Catherine's Hospice in January 2005. He was 88.

I'm sure grandad would've had no bother whatsoever in running 10k in less than 55 minutes, but in his memory that's what I'm aiming to do. I'm taking a dose of his determination and am in training mode to try and break this milestone in aid of this fantastic cause.

Please join me in supporting Macmillan and giving other patients like my grandad, and their families, the support they need.

With thanks,

Julie