2026 NEWS

The year has started with the changing of the guard in Taunton. Chris Knapman, who has served on the Committee for over 25 years (most of them as Hon Secretary) has stepped down and is succeeded by Andrew Goodwin, a former senior NHS finance manager, whilst Alan Reeve, Hon Treasurer for the past twenty years, has also stepped down but will remain on the Committee for a time as Acting Chair. He is followed as Hon Treasurer by Richard Hatcher, a former Regional Director of Lloyds Bank plc. We are hugely grateful to both Andrew and Richard for taking on these important jobs and wish them well in their new roles. Chris Knapman launched our traditional Big Breakfast 21 years ago and has initiated many other ideas and events – we shall miss her!

Andrew hit the ground running by organizing an uplifting pre-Christmas service in aid of CRUK at North Curry. Despite the Roadchef company now having transferred support from CRUK to another charity, we were also able to celebrate Christmas by singing carols again at Taunton Deane Service Station, where we were joined by members of Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir and raised £278 for our funds – the event was given a front page splash in our local newspaper!

Events planned for 2026 are a Fun Quiz (14 February), our Big Breakfast (21 March) and a Bridge Day (28 April). All are needed to aid our fundraising as the inability to continue collecting at Roadchef has left a big hole in our income, and we were much heartened to be awarded a grant of £5,000 by The Wilton Trust (the third time they have done so) in recognition of our commitment to funding projects involving local patients at The Beacon Centre, Musgrove Park Hospital. Of our two projects, the ovarian cancer trial is now completed with much valuable knowledge gained over its life. The prostate cancer trial (“Stampede”) is ongoing and both locally and nationally has produced some exciting results; prostate cancer is now the most widely-suffered cancer in men with some 63,000 males in the UK diagnosed each year (one and a half times the entire male population of Taunton Deane!) and we are thrilled to be able to play a part in this work. Noted high-profile sufferers have included HM King Charles, ex PM David Cameron and multi-Olympic gold medal winner Chris Hoy. Alongside these trials we shall also start to support research elsewhere in the West Country,

So despite the loss of Roadchef income we look forward with confidence to 2026 and many happy fundraising events.

ALAN REEVE (Hon Treasurer – Retired)



Previous update:

Our Taunton Group looks forward to 2025 following a successful 2024 which was crowned by the 50th Anniversary Dinner at Oake Manor Golf Club in September, when 170 of us gathered to celebrate this milestone. Ian Ramus was an effortless Master of Ceremonies; we enjoyed short talks by our President David Milliken and by Trudy Stammer from CRUK, followed by a superb meal which was punctuated by the visiting Taunton Deane Male Voice Choir, who entertained us firstly with a rousing “Flash Mob” session followed by a number of varied and amusing songs. A raffle and auction attracted a generous response from guests and enabled us to make a surplus of £2,036 on the event. All in all it was a memorable evening and we now look forward to the next 50 years! The rest of the year passed quietly, marked by a seasonal return to Roadchef where, augmented by a number of Male Voice Choir members, we sang Christmas carols to passers by.

At the end of November we held our traditional Big Breakfast at Temple Methodist Church Hall. As ever it was very well attended and we were grateful to our two cooks, Amanda and Jackie, who served up appetising breakfasts for over four hours in a busy kitchen. We were honoured to welcome the High Sheriff of Somerset (Robert Beckley) and his wife, together with Vanessa Garside, Mayor of Taunton, with her consort. The event raised £1,089 including sales of Christmas cards and calendars, and gave everyone there a lot of pleasure. Also in November we were delighted to receive £2,000 from Bishops Lydeard Mill as a result of our Summer Thursday stewarding of this wonderful attraction.

Once again we had a wonderful year at Roadchef, where in all (including Christmas) we collected £11,600 for our local research projects and we are so grateful to all those who turned out to collect, especially over Summer weekends. At national level Roadchef has transferred its support from CRUK to another charity for 2025 but we are hoping that with our friendly local contacts we may be able to return this year. Already 2025 is looking busy; our friends in the Male Voice Choir are presenting a complete concert in aid of CRUK on SATURDAY 22 MARCH in St James’ Church, Taunton at which we hope for a good attendance, whilst our annual Bridge Day will take place on THURSDAY 1 MAY at Trull Memorial Hall – we hope for sixteen tables of four players on the day so do come along to both events to support us. There is also a Quiz Evening in the offing, date as yet not firmed up.

As previously mentioned, both our Secretary and Treasurer are standing down this year. Each has given CRUK over 20 years’ service and we need to replace them with two more equally dedicated folk. So if you share our passion for research into, and gradual elimination of, cancer in all its invidious forms please offer your services – the need is great as there is so much to do! The work is not onerous – on the contrary it is very rewarding (and fun)!

Alan Reeve
Hon Treasurer