Come Dine With Spencer: Viewers host dinner parties to support cancer charity
Last updated 23/02/2010 12:27:30
Come Dine With Spencer Uran for charity
It's the hit show in which five strangers come together for dinner and compete for a cash prize. Now viewers of Come Dine With Me are being challenged to host their own dinner parties to fundraise in memory of contestant Spencer Uren.
Spencer died from pancreatic cancer, soon after taking part in the Channel Four programme, aged just 37. His fellow diners are urging the show's fans to raise funds for the North Hampshire Trust Hospital in Basingstoke.
The contestants bonded well during their week together in January last year. It emerged during filming that Spencer's little sister had just been diagnosed with Hodgkins disease and was undergoing chemotherapy. So Spencer decided that if he won the show he would donate the winnings of £1000 to a local cancer charity to support his sister. Unfortunately, he didn't win the show, but the winner, Gill Buley, was so touched by his story that she decided to share the winnings with Spencer, in support of his sister.
Spencer was overwhelmed by the goodwill gesture but unaware at the time that he would be facing his own illness in the months to follow. He was diagnosed with a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that was unfortunately incurable. He thought he may have a couple of years, but sadly the cancer was far too advanced and he passed away last May.
When asked where he wanted his share of the prize money to go Spencer said: "Having walked in the shoes of a cancer patient, I would like to make a big difference and make the experience as comfortable as possible for others and their families during the traumatic phase of receiving treatment." His chosen charity was the cancer ward at the North Hampshire Trust Hospital in Basingstoke.
Fellow contestant Gill Bulley explained: "When I met Spencer I first recall his amazing blue eyes and he had a wonderful personality that put me at ease. He was a very special man and I enjoyed having him in my life, even for a short period of time. I will truly miss him. Please, please, please help us to make a difference for others.
She added: "You have watched the show and shouted out, 'I can do a better than that!' Well this is your opportunity to prove it, to host your very own Come Dine For Spencer evening and raise money for cancer. Invite your friends and family, cook them a delicious meal and ask them to make a contribution to our charity, the value of their contribution is dependent on the score they give you. Download our scorecards and ask them to score your meal. Whatever they score is their personal donation to our charity, so a score of 8 would equal £8.00.
"Consider making it a group effort. Ask your guests to return the favour and invite the same group to a follow-up Come Dine For Spencer evening at theirs, where you get to score them. That's when the competition really starts heating up. Make it fun, and maybe consider a theme for your dinner party."
One in three people in the UK will develop cancer at some point in their lives with the risk increasing with age. Many cancers are now curable but even those which cannot be cured can often be controlled, with treatment, for months or sometimes years. Sadly, pancreatic cancer is very difficult to diagnose and is often found too late for any curative treatment. Early symptoms can be vague, such as abdominal pain, weight loss or jaundice but most abdominal pain is not caused by pancreatic cancer. If a diagnosis is made before the cancer has spread, surgery may be possible to provide a cure.
Treatment with chemotherapy is sometimes an option to slow the progress of the disease, but on its own this cannot remove all the cancer. Many people with pancreatic cancer will not be able to receive any active treatment but will receive supportive care to control symptoms. For this reason, research into ways to detect pancreatic cancer earlier and into better treatment methods once the diagnosis is made, is needed to provide more hope for the future.
To find out more and to get involved go to http://www.ComeDineForSpencer.co.uk
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