Recognition for charity fundraiser (From Craven Herald)

Recognition for charity fundraiser

The proprietor of Skipton’s Rendezvous Hotel, Karen Weaving, has been invited to the House of Lords in recognition of her charity work for Cancer Research UK.

After founding the Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies in 2000, Karen has helped to raise more than £500,000 over nine years for children’s cancer research.

She will be accompanied by Jana Khayat, former Fortnum and Masons chairman and new president of the Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies, today as she meets the Honorary Fellow of Cancer Research UK, Lord Evans of Watford, for a formal lunch event.

“I was really shocked to receive the invitation, which came right out of the blue,” said Karen who has raised the money through luncheon events, fashion shows and gala dinners.

“It’s an absolute privilege to be invited into the House of Lords and it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Karen’s latest charity event for the Ribble Valley and White Rose Ladies is a charity luncheon next Wednesday, when Tracey Barraclough, from Calverley, visits the Rendezvous Hotel to talk about how cancer has had a dramatic effect on her life.

Tracey, 49, lost her grandmother and great grandmother to ovarian cancer, all while they were in their fifties. Then, when her mum was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 1993, Tracey thought she was going to be next.

After her mum died in 1996, doctors at Cancer Research UK’s family cancer unit at St James’s Hospital in Leeds discovered Tracey had inherited the BRCA1 gene, giving her a 60 per cent chance of developing ovarian cancer and a 90 per cent chance of developing breast cancer.

“Knowing that I had this deadly gene I was determined to break my family’s cancer chain,” said Tracey. “I decided first to have my womb and ovaries removed and then, nearly two years later, a bi-lateral mastectomy with reconstruction.

“It might sound like a hard thing to do, but I felt lucky that research had given me the choice to do something about it – something my mum, grandmother and great grandmother never had.”

Tracey became an ambassador for Cancer Research UK, both helping to spread awareness of cancer genetics and also raising money to help research.

Tickets for the lunch cost £25 and are available from Natasha Howe on 01756 700100 or email natashahowe@rendezvous-skipton.com