Guests at a charity luncheon in Skipton will be able to hear how cancer has had a dramatic, life changing impact on a Yorkshire woman - even though she has never been diagnosed with the disease.
Inspirational speaker, Tracey Barraclough, will be the special guest at a Summer Luncheon at the Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton on Wednesday 17 June.
Organised by The Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies fundraising committee for Cancer Research UK, the event will raise money to support vital research into cancer. Tickets are still available at £25 each.
Tracey Barraclough, 49, of Calverley, Leeds, lost her grandmother and great grandmother to ovarian cancer, all while they were in their fifties.
The when her mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993, Tracey, then 33 and with a young son, thought she was going to be next.
It wasn’t until after Tracey’s mum sadly died in 1996 that doctors at Cancer Research UK’s family cancer unit at St James’s Hospital in Leeds were finally able to discover that her mum had passed on an inherited faulty BRCA1 gene to Tracey, giving her a 60 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer – and also a 90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer.
Armed with this devastating news, Tracey took action: “Knowing that I had this deadly gene I was determined to break my family’s cancer chain. I decided first to have my womb and ovaries removed, and then nearly two years later, a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction. It might sound like a hard thing to do, but I felt lucky that research had given me the choice to do something about it – something my mum, grandmother and great grandmother never had. Knowledge was power to me.”
Tracey’s experience has made her look at life more closely and she has grown in both confidence and determination.
She became an ambassador for Cancer Research UK, both helping to spread awareness of cancer genetics and also raising money to help research.
An advocate of healthy living, she has taken part in many running events, such as Race for Life, the Great North Run and last year the London Marathon. She is also training to be a body builder and last year was voted “Yorkshire’s Healthiest Lifestyle” by Savant Healthcare.
But the biggest change has been to her career. After undergoing professional training, Tracey gave up her job as a PA last year to become a full time hypnotherapist and motivational speaker. “All the tough things I have faced in my life have made me the person I am today. I hope to now use my experience to inspire and give confidence to others so they can face their own challenges and change their lives for the better.”
Karen Weaving, from Skipton, said: “We are really excited about our Ladies Luncheon and are looking forward to hearing all about Tracey’s truly amazing journey. She’s such a wonderful ambassador for the charity and an inspiration to us all.’’
Sarah McPhee, Cancer Research UK’s area volunteer manager, said: “We’re delighted the Ribble Valley and White Rose ladies have decided to host a summer luncheon for Cancer Research UK. I’m sure the event will be a huge success and that they will all have a lovely time, as well as helping raise valuable funds for Cancer Research UK’s research cancer.”
Bolly Good Exercise It’s hard to feel like a Bollywood glamour queen when you’re shimmying backwards across the floor, shaking your hips, arms outstretched, twisting your hands as if you’re unscrewing lightbulbs – and trying to remember your fixed million rupee smile...
Apprentice Claire Means Business Apprentice star Clare Young guests at the Mamma Mia charity ball at the Rendezvous Hotel in Skipton, organised by the Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies.
Military Spectacle Raises Funds for Poppy Appeal Malcolm Weaving, owner of the Rendezvous Hotel and a corporal in the Army Catering Corps for two years in the early 1950s, will have the special job of wheeling in the beef for lunch at a military spectacle.
Skipton Hoteliers Buy out Partner Husband and wife team Malcolm and Karen Weaving are the new exclusive owners of Skipton’s Rendezvous Hotel.
Everything's Pink at Skipton Fundraiser TV star Carl Wilde will join fundraisers for a Pink Afternoon tea party. Carl Wilde with Yvonne Cannings, of Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies, left, and Karen Weaviing. The floral expert, who presents on ITV’s This Morning, is hosting the Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies event to raise funds for childhood cancer charities.
Recognition for Skipton fundraiser The proprietor of Skipton’s Rendezvous Hotel, Karen Weaving, has been invited to the House of Lords in recognition of her charity work for Cancer Research UK.
St George's Day Holiday Petition Skipton hotelier Malcolm Weaving is sending a petition to local MP David Curry in the hope it will prompt an official saint’s day holiday for England.
