rivers2cross

Meeting sports presenter Jim Rosenthal for The Record turned out to be a real highlight for me. We met at The Shire Horse pub just outside Maidenhead, which was where my mum lived from the age of two until she and dad moved into the family home they built in 1963.

Jim was such an interesting man to talk to, and great fun at the same time. We chatted for over and hour, but if I am honest I could have spent the whole day talking to him. It’s going to make for a great chapter in the book, and as well as a great first record, Jim has also very kindly allowed me to use a photo from his personal collection in the book, which is quite wonderful.

The Record has been written in memory of my mum who died of bowel cancer in 2016. All proceeds raised from sales are being donated to Bowel Cancer UK. As well as the fundraising, the book also aims to help raise awareness about this awful disease. If detected early at stage 1 it can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases, but this figure drops to just 7% at the late stage 4. At the moment only 15% of patients are detected at stage 1, and so early detection rates need to improve to improve survival rates.

The Record is available to order on my rivers2cross.com website for immediate dispatch, and it will be available from the major on-line retailers on June 21.