Whitehills woman raises 'just phenomenal' £7100 for charity after cancer all-clear
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AFTER becoming cancer-free a Whitehills woman has raised over £7000 for the charity which cared for her.
By throwing a ladies' day at the Deveronside, Jocelyn Cran raised £7101 for Friends of Anchor, which looks after patients in the Anchor Unit, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary's specialised cancer base.
Around 140 people turned up to the Saturday, November 5 event, which included raffles, games, food and a disco at night.
Over 30 local businesses also came together to provide donations, raffle prizes and other support for the event.
Portsoy Fire Station also donated £500 towards the total from a charity ball.
Jocelyn did not expect to raise as much money as she did and thinks word of mouth had a huge effect.
She said: "It was overwhelming to raise that amount and quite emotional as well.
"It is a great feeling to raise so much and to know I might be helping someone who could be in that situation next.
"For people to come together and give so much is really thoughtful of them."
Jocelyn was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgekin's Lymphoma in January this year and started six months of chemotherapy in February.
She was told she was cancer-free in September.
Jocelyn said it was a huge relief to hear that Friends of Anchor would be providing her care.
She said: "One of my family members was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019 and Friends of Anchor took really good care of her.
"Volunteers would come round, paint her nails, do her hair and so many other little personal touches.
"They looked after her and made her feel so comfortable.
"So when I got the news I had cancer, and they said I would be under the care of the Anchor Unit, it was actually a big relief.
"I just knew I was going to be in safe hands."
One difficult part of Jocelyn's cancer journey was the continued Covid restrictions in hospitals she faced whilst undergoing chemotherapy.
Restrictions meant visitors could not accompany her to Aberdeen but Friends of Anchor were there to keep her company.
She said: "The Friends of Anchor volunteers came round with soup and sandwiches, ice poles, fancy pieces and so much else.
"It was quite lonely because you could be there all day with no one to talk to, it was quite a daunting experience.
"The volunteers would come round and ask if things were okay and were just someone to have a nase with.
"They made me feel at ease, that's for sure."
It was during a chat with a Friends of Anchor volunteer that Jocelyn decided to throw her ladies day.
She also credits organising the day with aiding her recovery, as she loves to plan and host special events.
Naomi Forrest, communications executive at Friends of Anchor, congratulated Jocelyn for her hard work and for the total raised.
She said: "It was amazing when we found out the fundraising total.
"It was just phenomenal.
"We are very aware of the financial situation of a lot of people so it is great to see fundraising still coming in.
"We were very humbled when Jocelyn got in touch and said she wanted to fundraise for the charity because of the care she received."
Ms Forrest said there are a range of ways to support Friends of Anchor and the chance to do something special for a good cause.
She said: "We have people doing all sorts of things from bake sales, festive events, stalls at markets and general fundraising events.
"But there are also ways to get involved if they want to choose a challenge, whether that's a run, a walk or a cycle.
"The world is your oyster.
"You can achieve something you are good at or something you have always wanted to do and we can open up conversations from there.
"There are always ways to get involved, whether that is one of our own organised events or something you fancy organising yourself.
"A big thank you to Jocelyn and everybody in the community that supported her and stood alongside her as she organised this fundraising event."
Local businesses came out in force to support Jocelyn, with over 30 local firms and people stepping up to offer help.
She said: "I was overwhelmed by the amount of support I got from the local community.
"I just went round some local businesses and handed them a letter giving the details.
"Within a couple of hours, they would be on the phone talking about raffle prizes they had set aside for us.
"I understand that things are quite hard, especially for small businesses in this area.
"My friends helped out, my family helped out and so did my husband.
"Obviously the day couldn't have run as smooth as it did without the Deveronside Football Club too, everybody there was absolutely phenomenal start to finish.
"Everything went perfectly. They listened to my ideas, I listened to their ideas and we worked really well together."
See below the full list of Aberdeenshire businesses which supported Jocelyn's ladies' day:
Fife Lodge
Interior Inspirations
Spotty Bag
Knowes Hotel
Crown Chip Shop
Stuart Davidson
Willow Lane Fashion
Peterhead Flower Shop
Candy Box
Diane Duncan Meraki
Billy Gatt
Seafield Arms Whitehills
Seafield Arms Cullen
Meldrum House
Jena Galloway Hair
Robyn Innes
Jill Watt
Station Hotel
Platform
Arleen McKay
Bairds Pharmacy
Fife Arms Turriff
Willow Lane Fashion
Aberdeen Altens
Robyn Campbell
Kelly Lovie
Bairds Pharmacy
Strachans Pharmacy
Seafield Seafoods
Moira George - Soy Kilts
Maynes Buckie
Jobie Gibb
Duncan & Todd
Lux Turriff
Ewens of Cornhill
Belle Ame
Portsoy Ice Cream
Rustic Hollow
Davidsons Chemist
Claire Garden
Outshine valeting and detailing
