Dan Leaves Us Standing At Bridlington (Candlelighters Book Project)

This young man is Dan. You may have seen Dan before as he has been one of the "stars" in the Candlelighters newsletter in the past. Dan has done more than most to help to raise money for Candlelighters and he has a very special reason why...

Four years ago Dan was diagnosed with a brain tumour. His treatment involved a life saving operation. Unfortunately that life saving operation whilst it has saved Dans' life has left him at present unable to walk unaided. As we saw on the day of the shoot as Dan took off at a great speed (scaring the life out of myself and his mum Caroline as he swerved very close to the cliff edge!) Dans' legs are not paralysed but he is experiencing problems with his balance. So Dan is aided by his trike.

Boy - can he move on that trike! He is also fearless it seems - his trike had one flat tyre which wouldn't inflate (depsite Andys best efforts) and so when he turned the trike automatically began to tip over. Dan wasn't in the slightest bit concerned but my heart was in my mouth more than once, I can tell you!

The prognosis for a full recovery for Dan I understand is good and last year Dan raised money for Candlelighters by walking around his local football pitch - aided only by one person at each side of him. His courage and stamina are amazing. We were priviledged to make Dans' acquaintance and even more honoured to photograph him. We're only posting a few photos of him here for mum Caroline to see before her official viewing, after which if she is in agreement, we may post a slideshow of the entire shoot. Well done Dan - see you again soon!

Raising £10,000 For Candlelighters - We're On Our Way!

Well we have made a start - and slightly ahead of when we expected to have enquiries!

This is the power of the internet for you - a family from Filey had a google alert set up for anything containing "Filey" in text, when I wrote about the project and mentioned that we were planning to visit Filey google alerted them and now here we are planning to meet up on Tuesday 7th April - in the childrens Easter holidays.

So if there are any other families with google alerts for Filey, Robin Hoods Bay, Scarborough or Whitby then we are in your area on the 7th April - please email us to arrange an appointment time: sharon@theportraitpeople.co.uk

Filey is actually another of my "special" places although it has become a little commercialised of late. When I was younger we used to spend a week during the summer holidays there every year at a flat in Rutland Street and then laterly in a static caravan mum and dad bought on Collins caravan site. We used to love the walk from the site, across the railway and down the little lane (I forget it's name now) down to the quieter end of the beach by the golf course. I also worked in Filey for a little while whilst I was undertaking a college course in Business Studies/Travel & Tourism. I was sent to the then Hylands Hotel (it's now a retirement home I believe) and used to frequently come back there on weekends when they had functions on and work as a waitress - I've waltzed around their dance floor during "ballroom dancing" weekends a few times as a "young lass"! Not that I can waltz at all - but no-one seemed to notice or mind! I think we made the numbers up for some of the groups there.

Isn't it funny how things turn a full circle? My favourite places to frequent used to be Sterchis for the hand made chocolates and the Brown Room for their lovely fish 'n' chips but now when I take my children to Filey my daughter insists we stop at the little outside cafe at the Cobble Landing and have a mug of hot chocolate with Marshmallows and Flakes. She took me there for mothers day last year! We had a lovely day even if it was a bit on the chilly side on the front.

Whilst I'm on with the reminiscing - one of the memories from my childhood which has never left me is that of watching my dad, asleep in a deck chair on the beach whilst the tide came in around him from the sea wall above him. My mum thought it would be funny to wait and see how long until he woke up! It wasn't until his shoes started to float that he did. There was a crowd on the top watching him. It was funny. Fortunately he took it all in good spirits. The love of Filey has never left him either and he goes every year to the Fisherman's Festival and has frequently won a trophy, he also claims to sing (although we all dispute that since he's tone deaf) in the Filey Fishermans Choir.

Candlelighters registered charity number is: 1045077