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The loss of Laura Hopkinson to bowel cancer was devastating. She had become a wonderful friend over the last few years. A beautiful soul on the inside and out, and a wonderful Mum to Ivy and George.
She always supported and encouraged my fundraising ventures. The video she made with her “Buddy” teddy was pure genius and even when her own health was deteriorating, she still supported The Final Post EP earlier in the year. But she was so much more than that to me and so many others. She is much missed, and never forgotten x
To my deep regret, we never met in person, which is something I am all the more poorer for. I have written a song called Shining Star, which is about and dedicated to Laura, which will be released in the new year to raise money for MacMillan and St Oswald’s Hospice, two charities that Laura’s family are supporting and that helped Laura so much.
I went to see The Vapors for the second time this year, and this time in Aldershot which is reasonably local to me. Another superb show and the band play such a great set these which a great balance of new and old songs. Hopefully there will be more of the same in 2024…
The promotion for Destination Unknown continued with the launching of more merchandise including some cracking t-shirts. I’ve done t-shirts for most of the music releases, although with this album I have gone to town on the designs and options. I know I get easily carried away with these fundraising initiatives and it’s something I am looking to balance better in 2024.
November was not a great month. The loss of Laura overshadowed everything. To compound everything it coincided with when my long running car troubles began. My car is still off the road going into to 2024 and this nightmare prevented me from being able to travel up to the North East for Laura’s funeral. This is something that I feel so bad about, as I had really wanted to be there to pay my respects and support the family. I was able to watch the service on video link and Laura’s dad and three sisters read the most amazing tributes. Quite beautiful and yet of course heart-breaking at the same time. I have been fundraising and raising awareness about bowel cancer for 11 years now. It’s such a cruel disease. It has brought some wonderful people into my life and sadly I’ve lost some of those people as well x
