I’ve had cancer twice. First time it was in my larynx and resulted in me requiring a full laryngectomy. After a number of months it had came back in my neck once again, so I required further surgery, removal of my thyroid, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. As a result I now can’t speak without the help of a speech valve inserted into my neck and then covering by stoma. Quite literally saved my life twice and then helped to rebuild it to some sort of ‘normal’ existence. The ENT department - both surgical and the ward, chemotherapy wards, radiotherapy ward and the SLT were brilliant throughout and continue to offer support.

For these reasons I will be attempting to complete 'the wall' ultra marathon in June. Any donations would be amazing to help this local charity keep more people's families together.

Sir Bobby Robson launched his Foundation to help find more effective ways to detect and treat cancer, after a request for help from his oncologist Professor Ruth Plummer. She was treating Sir Bobby as he faced cancer for the fifth and what he knew would be the final time.

She needed to raise £500,000 to equip a new cancer drug trials centre at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care in Newcastle upon Tyne and asked him if he knew anyone who might like to donate.

Sir Bobby responded by launching a charity to get the money she needed. He described it as like being at the helm of a team again. What he called his last and greatest team.