Annual report 2022 - 2023

Our annual report for the financial period 2022 - 2023 has been produced and submitted to the Charity Commission. Key findings are as follows:

• 67 grant applications processed for the financial year against an annual target of 90.

• Fundraising income performance £28,378 compared to 2021/22 amount of £18,311

Feedback from grant applications was very positive, one example of many:

“I write today firstly to thank you for the care and support that you offered to our mum during her last bit of time with us. You donated money to our mum to help her be comfortable through the end of her life. Your donation contributed to mum treating herself to a new mattress for the first time in over 20 years. She was bed bound a lot towards the end and the comfort it provided when never stopped been thankful for. It made her laugh and smile picking it and she was so thankful. A memory we will forever cherish. Thank you.”

To read the full report click here.

Trustees set to transfer funds as Derby’s Annabel’s Angels prepares to hand over the baton

Volunteers running a Derby charity which has raised thousands of pounds to help local people with cancer and their families have decided to call it a day after nearly 10 years. Annabel’s Angels, which was set up in 2014, will transfer its assets over to the Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity at the end of the year after its trustees agreed unanimously to wind down its fundraising activities.

From left to right - Simon Hancox, Rachel Hayward, Jill Matthews

The charity has helped more than 600 families across Derby and Derbyshire over the past nine years by awarding grants to pay for essential items such as transport, white goods, food and clothing following a diagnosis of cancer.

The vast majority of its money was collected through donations and fundraising events such as sponsored cycling and running events, including the annual Derby 10 Mile race.

It currently hands out grants of at least £250 to families who may be struggling to make ends meet following a cancer diagnosis, with the vast majority of its referrals coming from the MacMillan Cancer Information Centres at the Derby Royal Hospital and Burton’s Queen’s Hospital.

The organisations have developed a close working relationship over the years, which is why the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Trust’s own charity has agreed to take on Annabel’s Angels’ funds to continue its all-important work.

Annabel’s Angels was set up by Derby dad-of-two Simon Hancox following the death of his wife, Annabel, from cancer in December 2012, after he discovered that she had built up a network of friends online and was supporting them through their own cancer journeys.

Along with Annabel’s friends, he used her work as a springboard to help other families, getting friends and relatives involved in launching the charity, which he headed until handing over the reins to current charity chair Rachel Hayward last year.

He said: “I could never have imagined when I started what Annabel’s Angels would go onto achieve and we can all look back on the past nine years with a huge sense of gratitude and awe.

“Cancer has a devastating effect on everyone it touches, including blameless families who are left struggling when their income drops because of a diagnosis, and we know how much impact our grants have made.

“I am hugely indebted to all of our trustees, our volunteers and anyone who has ever donated money or time to Annabel’s Angels. They’ve helped thousands of people realise they are not alone and given them crucial support at a time when they needed it the most.”

The official handover is expected to take place next month, although Simon and members of the charity are hoping to run the Available Car Derby 10 Mile race on November 19, with volunteers handing out bottles of water to runners midway around the course.

Rachel, who also owns Derby bid-writing firm Ask the Chameleon, said: “Running a charity of this nature is incredibly complex and takes up a lot of our volunteers’ time, and while it was an incredibly difficult decision, we felt our hard-working team had taken the charity as far as they could.

“Every penny we have ever raised has gone to our families and we are happy in the knowledge that the funds will continue to meet the demand from more families living with cancer.

“We are delighted and grateful that the team at the Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity have agreed to continue our work and we’re looking forward to coming together one last time at the Available Car Derby 10 Mile Race.”

Jill Matthews, chief officer for the Derby & Burton Hospitals Charity, said the charity’s current assets will be transferred into a new fund, called the Annabel’s Angels Fund, which will start handing out grants next year.

She said: “We are delighted to be continuing Annabel’s legacy and the great work of the charity’s trustees and fundraisers.

“I want to thank everyone involved for their tremendous efforts to support this cause and especially Rachel and Simon for their dedication and compassion for families at some of the most difficult times.”

To donate to the Annabel’s Angels fund please go to the Derby & Burton Hospital Charity website here DBHC – Derby & Burtons Hospital Charity

Annual report 2021 - 2022

Our annual report for the financial period 2021 - 2022 has been produced and submitted to the Charity Commission. Key findings are as follows:

• 113 grant applications processed for the financial year against an annual target of 90.

• Fundraising income performance £18,311 compared to 2020/21 amount of £38,885

To read the full report click here.

Covid-cancelled concert takes to the stage to raise thousands for local charity

Derby Community Choir has raised £2,200 for local Derby-based charity Annabel’s Angels — over 2 years later than the original planned concert.

Originally due to take place on 21 March 2020 – 2 days before our PM told people to stay at home – the local amateur community choir of 72 members had to cancel for fears about participants’ and the audience's wellbeing. Little did they know it would be May 2022, more than 2 years later, before they would be able to perform.

The concert was finally held in the magnificent Pears Hall at Repton School in May 2022. Over 200 family and friends were entertained by a full repertoire of songs from the shows, standards and three outstanding solos, demonstrating a varied range of voices and interests.

The choir – who rehearse at Leylands Estate on Broadway – is a mixed choir of ladies and men, covering all voices and age ranges. Musical Director Robin Fugill said: "We all enjoyed a thoroughly entertaining evening of memorable songs, sung memorably by a great choir”

The choir and audience raised £2,200 for local charity, Annabel’s Angels. The charity offers financial assistance to people and families living with all types of cancer, from a wide range of backgrounds and ages. Using donations from the public it offers a small financial grant scheme for applicants and was hardest hit by the pandemic, despite a doubling of requests for help.

The volunteer-led team works closely with the Royal Derby hospital, MacMillan Cancer Information Centre, Nottingham Young Lives vs Cancer, and Nottingham Children and Young People’s Specialist Services, support includes vouchers for groceries, clothing, and adaptations to the home.

Rachel Hayward, Chair of the charity and a member of the choir, added:

"Our grant scheme is funded through fundraising events and public donations which were all but wiped out by the restrictions over the past 2 years. This funding has come just at the right moment, and we will be able to support at least 10 families with the money raised by the concert. We are so thankful to the choir for agreeing to perform and waiting those 2 long years to showcase their amazing voices”.

“We are continuing to see a considerable rise in requests for help from local families struggling to make ends meet when a cancer diagnosis affects their finances. We are able to offer highly personalised support but are seeing the majority of requests for supermarket vouchers so that essentials can be purchased. Cost of living rises are affecting everyone at the moment, but when you are unable to work because of treatment, budgets become increasingly stretched. Fundraising events such as the concert enable us to help the most in need during very difficult times.”

The choir is open to new members, and no previous experience is required. It meets every Wednesday – please visit http://www.derbycommunitychoir.com/

Annabel’s Angels appoints a New Chair

Annabel’s Angels has announced a new Chair for 2022.

Rachel Hayward from local bid writing consultancy Ask the Chameleon will become Chair of Annabel’s Angels. An experienced bid writer, Rachel has had a long-established relationship with Annabel’s Angels, following an exceptional career in the charity sector in Birmingham and Derby. Appointed as a trustee in 2017, with a focus on securing business sponsorships, the local businesswoman has long been active in the running of the charity.

Rachel said “I am so proud to become Chair.  We have had the toughest 21 months in our history, yet the support we have been shown from local companies, funding bodies and the public has been so inspiring.  We clearly fulfil a need – we are seeing a huge demand in requests for our grants programme. “

“This will continue to be a tough year, but I am convinced that with my fellow trustees and the wonderful communities of Derby and Derbyshire, we can continue to raise funds and provide much needed support to local families undergoing cancer treatment. “

Outgoing Chair Simon Hancox said “My fellow trustees and I are very supportive of Rachel becoming our new lead. She is a natural leader, highly skilled and a huge asset to the charity. With her leadership skills and strong links within the business and voluntary sectors, I feel confident we will rise to the challenge of reaching and supporting more families living with cancer. I feel proud to have served as Chairperson for the past seven years and I’m looking forward to working with our team to further improve our work.”

Operating a grant scheme largely funded by donations from local people, the charity was hit hard by Covid and the restrictions on sporting and social gathering. Experiencing a severe reduction in fundraising, the Charity turned to submitting funding applications to local and national organisations. 

Rachel supported the charity to secure £15,000 in grants from Foundation Derbyshire and the Martin Lewis Coronavirus Emergency Fund. This funding enabled the charity to support 127 families during 2019/2020 – double the previous period.

Annabel’s Angels offers financial assistance to people and families living with all types of cancer, from a wide range of backgrounds, ages and the support is highly personalized. Examples of support awarded to local families include vouchers for groceries, clothing, and adaptations to the home.  Annabel’s Angels works closely with the Royal Derby Hospital, MacMillan Cancer Information Centre, Nottingham Young Lives vs Cancer, and Nottingham Children and Young People’s Specialist Services to support people living with cancer.

“It has been a helping hand at a time when you’re dealing with so many emotional feelings and when a great worry is financial“. Grant beneficiary

Annual report 2020 - 2021

Our annual report for the financial period 2020 - 2021 has been produced and submitted to the Charity Commission. Key findings are as follows:

• 127 families supported / grant applications processed for the financial year against an annual target of 65.

• Fundraising income performance £38,885 compared to an amount of £40,784 in 2019-20.

• £31,099 was spent on items / services purchased for families during 2020-21 against a figure of £17,441 in 2019-20.

As always, we are very grateful to all who choose to donate and who continue to support Annabel’s Angels, but for this period we are especially grateful to the following organisations for their significant grant funding during the financial year 2020-21:  

• Foundation Derbyshire

• Martin Lewis Coronavirus Fund

As always, we extend our gratitude to all who have supported Annabel’s Angels during this period. It has been another extremely busy year for the charity, and 2021-2022 looks to be even busier.

To read the report in full click here

Derby estate agent AKS Makes Sales Pledge to help Annabel's Angels

A Derby estate agent has offered to make a donation to Annabel’s Angels every time his company closes a sale - in memory of his “inspirational” mum.

Andrew Sanderson, director of Hilton-based Estate Agent AKS, has agreed to set aside £50 each time he sells a house and give it all to Annabel’s Angels at the end of the year.

Andrew, who originally hails from Essex and set up his business in 2014, lost his beloved mum Carol from cancer two years ago and, wishing to do something positive, decided he wanted to set up a foundation in her memory.

However, after meeting with volunteers from Annabel’s Angels and hearing about their work, he decided to help through his company. He said: “I know from my mum’s battle with cancer how horrible the whole situation is, but I can’t imagine how much more difficult it must be to have to deal with financial stress at the same time.

“With that in mind, I’m very proud to be partnering with a charity that does so much good work to help people in that situation and it’s exciting to know that the more properties we sell, the more money we will raise.

“Cancer is a horrible disease and I have wanted to do something in my mum’s memory for a while. She was such a wonderful person and a real inspiration to me, and without her encouragement, I wouldn’t have set this business up, which makes this partnership even more fitting.”

Simon Hancox, chair of Annabel’s Angels, said: “We’re extremely grateful to Andrew for agreeing to raise money for our charity through AKS Residential and we hope that he sells lots of houses during the rest of the year!

“We know all too well how deeply cancer can affects so many people’s lives and we’re touched by Andrew’s decision to turn the pain of losing his mum into a positive gesture that will benefit so many families who are currently experiencing that pain themselves.”

Annual report 2019 - 2020

Our annual report for the financial period 2019 - 2020 has been produced and submitted to the Charity Commission. Key findings are as follows:

• 68 grant applications processed for the financial year against an annual target of 65.

• Fundraising income performance £40,784 compared to 18-19 amount of £21,381 (this represents a 90% increase). Annual target was £20,000.

Naturally, we are very grateful to all who choose to donate to Annabel’s Angels, but for this period we are especially grateful to the following organisations for their significant contributions during the financial year 2019-20:  

• £6704.51 from M&S Ilkeston (due to our year long partnership with them);

• £8,000 from The Bereavement Services team at Markeaton Crematorium for choosing Annabel’s Angels as their local charity beneficiaries of the Institute of Cemetery and Crematorium Management (ICCM) recycling scheme;

• £1000 award from Derby Freemasons

£17,441 was spent in purchasing items for families in need during 19-20 against a figure of £25,762 for 18-19. Two reasons for this:

• a drop in applications during February & March as a result of concerns around Covid-19;

• a reduction in the maximum value per grant application (from £500 down to £300) imposed in August 2019 due to concerns around demand.

As always, we extend our gratitude to all who have supported Annabel’s Angels during this period. It has been another busy year for the charity, and 2020 - 2021 looks to be even busier.

To read the full report click here

Penguin PR Signs Partnership with Annabel’s Angels

Derby PR firm Penguin PR has agreed to help Annabel’s Angels with its social media activity to ensure that it continues to spread the news during the coronavirus lockdown.

Penguin PR, based in Ashbourne Road, will handle the our online communications after setting up the partnership via Derby Swap Shop, an online business exchange forum which has just reached the Midlands Finals of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Simon Hancox, chairman of Annabel’s Angels, said: “The coronavirus lockdown has put a huge amount of pressure on the families we work with, as well as charities like ourselves because of uncertainty surrounding people’s incomes and the huge disruption to our fundraising activity.

“We have been extremely fortunate to pick up two recent grants which have helped enormously but our social media is vital because it helps us to reach out to new families and new potential donors, as well as talk about our work to the wider community.

“We are all volunteers with busy lives and so we’re very grateful that Penguin PR have agreed to allocate us some time for free in order to help us to continue to spread the word.”

Penguin PR director Simon Burch said: “Annabel’s Angels has made a huge difference to the lives of countless families living with cancer in Derby and we’re very much looking forward to helping them to reach out to more families and donors at what has been a very challenging time all round.

“I have known Simon for a number of years and was proud to run wearing an Annabel’s Angels T-shirt for the inaugural Derby 10 Mile race a number of years ago.

“Not only am I fully aware of how much of a better runner he is than I am, I know just how hard he and his team work to raise funds for the charity in order to make life a little easier for families who are going through the toughest time imaginable.”

Funding Success from national fund - Martin Lewis Corona Charity Fund

Annabel’s Angels is so delighted to announce that we have been awarded £6,000 from Martin Lewis Corona Charity Fund.

The fund, announced in March, received over 7,000 applications, requesting £74m from the trustees.

Unfortunately, they could only fund 5% of the total applicants, even though Martin had increased the pot himself, alongside donations from other individuals.

We are so honoured to be selected from 415 charities who each received a grant from a total funding pot of £3,400,000.

From these 415 charities

• 86% of applications came from, and 87% of the funds went to, the 5% of most-deprived areas in the UK.

• 95% of grants given were to be used fully or partially on providing food to those in need.

• 60% of the charities awarded had an income of less than £250,000 per year.

• 5.65% of the money went to charities in the East Midlands.

This award will enable us to support another 20 cancer patients in Derby / Derbyshire, taking into consideration the increased hardship due to Covid19 lockdown measures.

We will be able to help in our usual way, supporting funding of items such as clothing vouchers, white goods, food and shopping vouchers, fuel vouchers.

Simon Hancox, Chair of Annabel’s Angels said:

“Requests for help are continuing to rise, even as we come out of the lockdown, and we don’t expect this to change. We have seen a steady rise for help since we began in 2014 and have supported over 250 families to date.

We are so delighted to be selected to receive this money from a national charity that saw unprecedented demand, and we are very honoured and humbled as we know how many small charities need this support right now. This funding will enable us to meet the demand now, and during the year, so that we can support local people with cancer.”

Annabel’s Angels would like to thank sincerely Martin Lewis and his team at the charity for the award which will help us continue in our much-needed role within our community.

To find out more about Martin Lewis Corona Charity Fund click here.

Foundation Derbyshire Success

Funding Success from Foundation Derbyshire

Annabel’s Angels is overjoyed to share the news that £4,500 has been secured in a bid from the National Emergencies Trust via Foundation Derbyshire. This will expand the existing bursary scheme for cancer patients in Derby / Derbyshire, taking into consideration the increased hardship due to Covid19 lockdown measures.

Simon Hancox, Chair of Annabel’s Angels said:
“Our applications for financial support from families living with cancer in Derby / Derbyshire have increased since the onset of Covid19. Families already feeling the stretch financially due to living with a cancer diagnosis are facing additional financial concerns due to Covid19. Family members have lost their jobs, working reduced hours or have been placed on furlough leave meaning the family income is significantly reduced at a time when every penny counts. The lockdown also prevents the charity and its supporters from organising and participating in local, regional and national fundraising events, all of which are vital for our self-sufficient, volunteer-led charity to continue the work we do. Our business partners have also put fundraising on hold, and we anticipate that we will have incurred a loss of 30% of our usual annual fundraising each month that this pandemic creates a lockdown.”

The additional £4,500 from Foundation Derbyshire will help Annabel’s Angels reach and support an additional 15/20 families. Recent examples of items funded by the Charity are as follows:
.Grocery / clothing vouchers;
.Provision of white goods;
.Cleaning / gardening services;
.Childcare services (while a parent is undergoing treatment);
.Fuel vouchers (to enable patients to attend hospital based treatment)

Many thanks to the team at Foundation Derbyshire in awarding this grant to help us continue to do our work at a time of increased pressure and uncertainty for so many.

To find out more about Foundation Derbyshire visit https://foundationderbyshire.org

Derby University Student Videos

As part of an assignment for a degree programme at Derby University, students were required to create a video in groups which would promote our cause at Annabel’s Angels.

The videos were designed to give an overview of the charity in the student’s own creative ways, and the results have been great! We’re really grateful to be part of the teaching at our local university, and love the way all the final videos turned out. Here are a few which we particularly liked.

Let us know what you think in the comments or on our Facebook page.

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Annabel's Angels Annual report 2018 - 2019

Annual report -

2018/19

Annabel’s Angels is pleased to share its annual report for the period 2018 - 2019. The charity has seen a 40% increase in public fundraising donations compared to 2017 - 2018, and an increase of 12% in the number of families supported compared to the previous year. Sincere thanks to all supporters for making 2018 - 2019 a highly successful year. To read the report in full please click here

Cycling Challenge Flies the Flag For Derbados

Join In Yourself

Two Derby businessmen have laid down the gauntlet for others to join them for a cycling challenge in April.

Dean Jackson, founder and owner of triathlon kit specialists HUUB and David Torrington, managing director of Sky Recruitment Solutions are planning a 193km challenge in Mallorca on April 13 and 14, and are inviting other cycling enthusiasts to join them in Derbyshire.

Everyone taking part will be asked to raise money for two Derby causes - Derbyshire Institute of Sport which supports athletes to become world class and ourselves, Annabel’s Angels, providing financial assistant to local people living with cancer.

From Spain to Derbyshire

For those people unable to cycle in Spain, the team offer a more local cycling challenge.

Led by Annabel’s Angels and Derbyshire Institute of Sport, riders can cycle the 193km here in Derbyshire, but over the whole of April, either individually or in teams of up to 4 people. This can be done on road bikes, or in a gym, and prizes will be available for special achievements.

Pride of place for the team in Mallorca will be the Derbados flag - in support of Derby-based Team Huub/Wattbike who are taking the sport by storm – beating some of the top international track pursuit teams under the flag of Derbados!

A Challenge to Get Fit

For Jackson and Torrington – the challenge is about get back into the saddle after the winter months and, if successful, this will become a regular event.

The self-confessed pie lovers have named the challenge ‘2πr’ (or two pie eaters coming together to complete a circumference for good) – highlighting that the challenge is open to cyclists of all shapes, sizes and abilities.

Dean Jackson explained: “This is a challenge akin to the Land’s End to John O’Groats – but with sunshine - and is the perfect way to encourage people to get back into shape.

“This is about using sport to get fitter, raise money and spread the word of Derbados being the new cycling capital of the UK – if not the world!”

David Torrington continued: “I hope that the Derby business community in particular will get right behind us to support two amazing Derby-based causes and have some fun in the sun at the same time.”

Team Huub/Wattbike founder Dan Bigham congratulated 2πr on their quest: “There are some amazing challenges out there but cycling around Mallorca with two pie eaters such as David and Dean has to be one of the greatest! With numerous food and beer stops, this will be a grand tour like no other.”

Support Annabels Angels

Simon Hancox, Chair of Annabel’s Angels said “Annabel’s Angels is a Derby charity, led by 10 amazing trustees and a team of committed volunteers, without such fundraising events we couldn’t support the local families and individuals with cancer at a time they need us the most. We are really looking forward to being part of this challenge.”

Chloe Maudsley from Derbyshire Institute of Sport said “When a company chooses us to be a recipient of fundraising, we are incredibly honoured and grateful.

“It’s great that a sporting event is able to raise funds to support more sport. I really hope the community in Derbyshire are able to get behind this and in doing so, provide much needed support to ourselves and the other chosen charity, Annabel’s Angels.”

For more information about how to get involved, visit the Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/derbados2019 or download the info pack here.

Annabel's Angels Annual Report 2017 - 18

Our annual report for the financial period April 2017 - March 2018 can be found here. Key points to share are as follows:

• 2017 saw a dip in the Annabel’s Angels fundraising income from £20,139 in 2016-17 to £15,283 in 2017-18.

• Annabel’s Angels supported 65 families during 2017-18, compared to 34 families supported during 2016-17.

• Annabel’s Angels was the Derby 10 mile event race charity partner for the second year running.

You might also like to view our 2017-18 accounts (externally verified by Derby Community Accountacy Service). Click here for details.

If you would like to further information please contact our chairperson, Simon Hancox, by emailing simon@annabelsangels.co.uk

As always, we’d like to take this opportunity to offer our sincere thanks to all our stakeholders and supporters; we could not do what we do without your kindness.

Annabel’s Angels x

A Summer of fundraising

It's been such a busy Spring & Summer that we've struggled to find the time for updates. Our grant applications continue to roll in at a steady rate - we're currently averaging around five applications a month. Recent examples of funded items include:

• clothing / grocery vouchers
• childcare fees
• family breaks
• travel costs

Applications come in from all people of all backgrounds - children, adults, all areas across Derby, all types of cancer. Our support is person-centred based on the needs of the individual.

The past four months have been very busy in terms of fundraising. We've seen fundraising gigs, quiz nights, bucket collections, bag packing events, sponsored cycling, sponsored running, sponsored swims, triathlons, trekking, funeral collections, cake sales and much more which have raised thousands of pounds to support local families living with cancer. We're amazed and humbled at the generosity of those who organise and support these fundraising activities. At a time where time is incredibly precious for us all, our supporters go out of their way and take it upon themselves to set goals and organise events to help us reach more families living with cancer. Without these acts of heroism from these incredible people we simply wouldn't be able to continue offering support to those in need. 

A huge thank you to all

Simon x 

Derby 10k 2018

Annabel's Angels is looking for a team of ten runners to run and raise funds during this year's Derby 10k in April. Free entry for those who choose to run and raise for our charity. 

Fancy the challenge? Take a look at our Derby 10k race page for more details. 

Annual Report 2016 - 17

Annabel's Angels is pleased to share its Annual Report for the period 01/04/2016 - 31/03/2017. We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has supported the charity over the last twelve months. Our supporters help us in many different ways, including:

• conversations with friends and colleagues to raise our awareness;
• sharing their skills and experiences to help review the way we operate;
• take on a wide range of fundraising initiatives to raise money for our public grants scheme.

As always, we are incredibly grateful, humbled and thankful for these wonderful offers of support. 

Key headlines from our Annual Report are as follows:

• Annabel’s Angels increased its annual fundraising income by 12.5% from £17,940 in 2015 to £20,139 in 2016;
• Grant programme expenditure increased from £8402 in 2015 to £13821 in 2016;
• The number of families supported has increased from 22 at April 2016 to 56 at the end of March 2017 (this has since risen to 76 at the time of writing);
• The charity supported 34 individuals living with 23 separate cancer types over the last twelve months.

You can access the full report by clicking here. We do hope you enjoy reading it. 

You will also find a copy of our externally verified accounts here.  

Please feel free to share any comments with the team by emailing simon@annabelsangels.co.uk 

Join us - we're recruiting

Trustee Vacancies

Annabel’s Angels was launched as a Registered Charitable Trust in April 2014. The charity supports people living with cancer in Derby by funding grant requests for items/services to improve quality of life for the family. The charity consists of a team of volunteer trustees; it is funded purely by public donations.

After 3 very successful years we are now at the exciting stage where we are looking to recruit new trustees who can add the following experience to help plan and oversee the continued growth of the charity:

• Digital Media (improving reach on social media)

• Marketing (improving our brand)

• Business Partnerships (forging productive mutually beneficial relationships)

• Event Planning (planning small & large scale public events)

Trustees are expected to attend six meetings a year, usually 6:30pm-8:30pm on a weekday evening in Derby. Trustees are also expected to participate in email-based discussions between meetings and be available to support the activity of the charity at events throughout the year, within reason. Adequate notice is given for activities planned. Trustees are also expected to play an active part in our grant application discussions.

This is a voluntary role, however, any out of pocket expenses (outside of Board meetings) incurred in its delivery will be reimbursed in line with our policy.

Application is requested to be in the form of a covering letter and no more than 2 sides of A4 outlining your experience and why you feel you are suitable for either of the roles advertised to simon@annabelsangels.co.uk

The roles offer a great opportunity for successful applicants to build on and share their skills with a proactive team dedicated to improving the quality of life for local people living with cancer.

For more information about the role or to arrange an informal call with Simon Hancox, Chair, please email the above address.

Applications close Friday 8 September 2017

Run, walk, crawl

Running the Derby10 in November of 2016 was one of my biggest achievements of that year, that and of course graduating! I had finished my Internship and I had an unusual amount of free time until I started my next job. I had wanted to begin developing my fitness levels, and ultimately take on something that I had never done before, enter the Derby10.

I signed up in July, I was mixed with feelings of excitement and sheer panic. I hadn’t worn my running shoes in months and I was sporting what could only be described as post graduation-celebration gut and a bad knee from playing Rugby in my final year at University. How on earth was I going to develop the fitness levels needed to run 10 miles in just under 5 months with a dodgy knee? In hindsight I was been incredibly melodramatic and found that the body adjusts to exercise quicker than expected!

I threw together an excellent playlist of upbeat songs and began running when I could keeping a note of my runs as well as my lazy periods. I’d just like to clarify that I was running 2.5 miles in 40 minutes due to my post graduation-celebration gut...I’m holding onto this excuse for dear life. I sometimes had  weeks off at a time. My routine wasn’t always set, my new job had started a few weeks after this venture. By September I was running 6 miles in 56 minutes, a major improvement considering I could barely walk up the stairs without feeling a little breathless (post graduation-celebration gut). In honesty, the process of my running schedule was temperamental. I found it hard to stay focused. There were weeks where I ran every day. When you work hard and don’t see progression in your fitness or running time it is only natural to feel disheartened. Yet, it was the adrenaline and the excitement to run for such an amazing charity which kept me focused.

Race day eventually arrived, I was feeling slightly nervous, but excited. Arriving I saw everyone in their fancy running gear, lunging, stretching and looking worryingly unphased by the hustle and bustle in Derby County FC stadium. I approached the AA booth and was met with familiar faces and a sudden surge of pride to be running for the sponsor of the Derby10, I remembered the reason why I started training in the first place, it wasn’t just to try something different, but support a charity that had become my family. I was raring to go.

Adrenaline pushed me to the finish line, throughout the run you are heavily provided with electrolytes and water to fuel your body, you’re cheered on. People who'd never met you before clapped and shouted words of encouragement.  I was advised to take my time, I finished quicker than expected and I felt amazing.  I ran the Derby10 in 1:40minute’s.  I had just proved to myself that I’m capable of doing amazing things with just a bit of motivation, Annabel’s Angels was my motivation.

What did I learn? That my body was stronger than I gave it credit for. Remember when I was enjoying my post graduation-celebration gut? In just a few months I had managed to transform my fitness. What else? Running for a reason, for a cause , for Annabel’s Angels was one of the most rewarding thing I’d ever done.

The Derby Ramathon is just around the corner and with free spaces available for those who run for Annabel’s Angels. I implore you to try something new. Run, walk or crawl, as long as you cross that finish line. Running for Annabel’s Angels was one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I’ve maintained my fitness since November, it was a gateway to bigger and better things for my body and my mind. You never really know your limits unless you push yourself to them. So, what’s stopping you?