Thursday, 13 March 2014

A tribute to Wendy Winterbottom


Wendy, 2nd from right, at the opening of
the Star Throwers Charity Shop which she was
instrumental in establishing
Wendy Winterbottom was the fundraising coordinator and a volunteer at Star Throwers. She sadly passed away earlier this year on January 25th 2014 from cancer.

Many people who visited Star Throwers will have met Wendy. She was a wonderful person with a kind and infectious smile that could not easily be forgotten and was caring beyond measure. Wendy helped Star Throwers from the very beginning through organising many fundraising events in the community, which has been written about on this blog. But as well as raising money to support our work she also provided warmth and positivity to so many of our visitors and was an inspiration to so many others. 

Although she is no longer with us, her impact will continue indefinitely in all of the people affected by cancer that walk through our doors in the future. Thank you Wendy. We miss you dearly but will never forget you.

A month on from her celebration of life, we'd like to share a brief tribute from a dear friend of Wendy's and fellow volunteer at Star Throwers, Nicki Daws:

My friend, our friend, will be deeply missed at Star Throwers. Everybody knew her and when somebody new came through the door they invariable recognised Wendy from somewhere in their past.

As Events Organiser for Star Throwers she was a whizz: organised, creative, extremely hard working and a poster/flyer making genius!

Wendy was a lady of many talents.  Her jams and chutneys were delicious and always disappeared very quickly.  She would often show us the wonderfully decorated birthday cakes she had made for family, of which the Dr Who themed ones were my favourite.   
One of these people who was always doing something, Wendy was never still for very long.  She was a keen gardener, grew veggies, swam, played tennis, watched tennis, and knew a lot about tennis (always helpful when trying to follow Wimbledon!). I still remember every Wednesday we also used to discuss which book she was reading for her book club, of which she was an active member.  Wendy was just so interesting and a great pleasure to spend time with.

My friend was kind, funny, clever, thoughtful, helpful, always upbeat, generous and of course brave.  Although she is no longer with us she continues to inspire me.

I will miss her dearly.  May she rest in peace but still keep an eye on us.

Thursday, 27 February 2014

A Charity Dance for Star Throwers

A charity dance is being held in Attleborough to benefit Star Throwers. Come join us for an evening of fantastic live music and a chance to win fantastic prizes in our raffle which includes a signed N.C.F.C shirt, and 2 tickets for British Super Bikes at Snetterton!


The event is being organised by Vanessa Beales, in memory of her dad Derek Barnard whom Star Throwers supported.

Tickets are available to purchase from:

Cranks/Cyclelife 
19 The Drift
Attleborough
Norfolk
NR17 2FB

or call 01953 453737

Date: Saturday 12th April
Time: 7:30pm to Midnight
Location: Attleborough Town Hall
Admission: only £5!

Thank you No.5 Hair Salon!

No.5 Hair Studio, based in Wymondham Market St Car Park, recently made a donation to star Throwers after they organised a raffle which raised a brilliant £88.

The lucky winner was one of No.5's clients, Georgina Frosdick, who won the top raffle prize of a wonderful hamper containing hair straighteners, Paul Mitchell hair products, champagne, and chocolates.

Raffle Prize presented to winner.
(left to right) Jill Chapman of Star Throwers, Georgina Frosdick, Mel Storer of No.5

Salon owner Mel Storer said, "We make a point of supporting local charities as often as possible so I was very happy to present the donation to Star Throwers, a very worthy local charity and one which No.5 has supported several times and will continue to support."

A big thanks to No.5 for their support once again in raising both funds and awareness of Star Throwers's work. All money raised goes towards providing advice and support for people affected by cancer in a positive and supportive environment away from the hospital. 

If you are affected by cancer or know of someone affected by cancer please contact Star Throwers on 01953 423304 to find out about how we can support you.

Friday, 20 December 2013

Star Throwers in 2013


On behalf of Star Throwers cancer support charity, from staff, volunteers, patients and their families, I would like to send our most heartfelt thank you to every person and organisation who has supported our charity in 2013.

Each year we are saddened by the heartbreaking stories of those we have lost and we hope that their families are comforted by wonderful memories of their loved ones over the Christmas holiday. We have also had some uplifting success stories this year which makes it all worthwhile. Here are some of the comments we have received from patients and carers:

“Star Throwers has enabled me to take better control of my situation and given me hope.”

“I feel my wife has benefitted from Star Throwers at a time when life was getting hard for us. Dr Henry has a wonderful team. What a lifeline and a light at the end of the tunnel.”

“Really helped us to take control of this very difficult diagnosis & understanding more of what is happening & what we can do for ourselves.”

“ I was completely lost after my radio therapy & Star Throwers helped me tremendously. I feel I have made many friends here, both patients and volunteers. Many thanks to everyone.”

“The whole experience is like being folded into an extra family. Support and understanding is the most necessary ingredient at this time.”

“As a carer I find the care and support has made an enormous difference to our lives as a family.  Just to feel that someone else really cares and offers emotional positive support has helped so much.”


Thank you for helping to make these stories possible. Wishing everyone a beautiful Christmas with your family and friends and the best of health in 2014.


Star Throwers will be closed from Mon Dec 23rd and will reopen as normal from Jan 6th 2014. 

Wednesday, 11 December 2013

Eric Bristow to Headline Charity Darts Night in May 2014


Eric Bristow, 5 times World Darts Champion. picture from www.ericbristowexhibition.co.uk

We are very excited to announce Eric Bristow, 5 times World Darts Champion, will be headlining Lord Russell Baker's Charity Darts Night on Sat 24th May 2014 at the Wymondham Rugby Club.

The evening will be raising money in aid of Star Throwers cancer support charity. Guests will be treated to a Darts Spectacular with Eric giving an exhibition and a speech and guests will also have the opportunity to test their skills against him! 

There will also be fantastic raffle prizes to win, live music, and a 7 day luxury villa for up to 4 people at the acclaimed Kololi Beach Resort in Gambia, worth £1,000, will be up for auction on the night.

Tickets priced at £15. More details to follow in the New Year. To register your interest, please email info@starthrowers.org.uk




Saturday, 7 December 2013

Raising Festive Funds At Our Christmas Coffee Morning

A huge THANK YOU to all the volunteers, crafters, prize donors, bakers and all the guests who came to support our coffee morning today. It was a nice atmosphere and great to see some familiar faces but also meet and show some new people around Star Throwers.

In total, I am delighted to say you all helped to raise £520!