Forres Local

Marc Hindley is a local journalist and photographer, and editor of this website Forres Local.

Forres cancer survivor taking on a beast of a race

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Donate online at: bit.ly/forresbeasts2019

A local businessman who survived throat cancer is taking part in a gruelling race to help battle the condition.

Jeff Bradford who runs ScrubVac on the Greshop estate and is also a personal trainer is joining a team of ten local people who are taking part in the Loch Ness Beast Race to raise funds for the Throat Cancer Foundation.

Jeff says the cancer he survived doesn’t get the level of publicity as some of the others, and doing the beast race will not only raise some much-needed funds, but also highlight the work being done to combat head and neck cancers.

Personal trainers

The team are training at Life and Sole

The idea to do the gruelling Loch Ness Beast Race came from Mollie Powney, a personal trainer at the Life and Sole gym at the Enterprise Park in Forres. Owner Dan Foster has also got behind the idea, joined the team and given sponsorship.

He said: “We’ve got about ten people doing the Beast Race. Most of the guys are actually from the gym already, so we’re getting them training here, doing the classes to get them fit, and hopefully, avoid any injuries, and get through it without any problem.

Mollie, who has wanted to do the race for a while said: “We signed up for the race, then we decided to raise money for the Throat Cancer Foundation on behalf of Jeff, who will be taking part as well.

Jeff was diagnosed with Throat Cancer several years ago and after treatment at the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary is now in remission.

Raising awareness

He said: “Although it’s very survivable, throat cancer is one of the hardest to treat, because of the areas around the throat and mouth and the side effects from radiotherapy and chemotherapy, it causes lots of burns inside and outside your throat. It prevents you from eating and some people have to be tube-fed, even 10-15 years on.

“This charity needs money to raise awareness. They’ve been great in getting the Government to bring in the HPV vaccination for teenage boys. It’s already available for girls and helps prevent cervical cancer, but the Human Papillomavirus is also prevalent in throat cancers in men.

“The Throat Cancer Foundation has encouraged the Government to bring this vaccination to the fore and from September this year, the vaccine will be offered to boys and girls, as a result of the foundation’s work.”

“If I’d had the vaccine when I was 13/14, I might not have had this cancer.”

The Forres Beasts are hoping to raise £1000 and sponsorship forms are available at the Life and Sole gym, or you can donate online at: bit.ly/forresbeasts2019

Moray's MP Douglas Ross has welcomed Boris Johnson as the UK's new Prime Minister he was announced as the leader of the Conservative Party this morning (Tuesday, 23 July).

Moray MP welcomes Boris Johnson as UK’s new PM

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Moray’s MP Douglas Ross has welcomed Boris Johnson as the UK’s new Prime Minister he was announced as the leader of the Conservative Party this morning (Tuesday, 23 July). Nearly 160,000 Conservative members voted in the leadership election, with an 87.4% turnout. Mr Johnson polled a clear majority with 92,153 of the votes (66.4%) almost … Read more

Forres Men’s Shed is a ‘life-saver’ for the isolated and depressed

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Forres men are laughing off depression and finding space to talk about things that big boys aren’t ‘supposed’ to talk about.

That’s the message from the Forres Men’s Shed, which has taken roots in the biggest man-cave of them all, Moray Waste Busters.

And it’s here that the mostly retired members exchange banter, have a laugh and share jokes over a cup of tea.

But as chairman Tony Hartley explains, it goes a lot deeper than a social meetup.

Men helping men

He said the organisation helps men talk about things that they can’t talk about at work, in the pub or even to their wives.

“It’s all about men helping men. Men just don’t talk to people. If you go to the pub, there are five things they talk about – golf, football, cars, work, women – everything else doesn’t exist,” said Tony.

“It’s the camaraderie, it’s the banter, it’s that joviality that you get between workmates. When you retire, that goes, and most men only have their wives to speak to, and a lot of men don’t even have that.”

He goes as far as to say the shed gives men a reason to live when they have been at a serious low point. The door is open to anyone aged 18 to the grave.

Member John Gillies said: “It’s somewhere to come where you can talk to men. and it’s nice to come and be part of a bigger thing.”

‘Head Tea Boy’ Bill Valentine is the oldest member at 90 and he said that he too felt the camaraderie was what made the shed so appealing.

He said: “The boys are good to me, they pick me up from home and bring me in here. My eyesight isn’t so good so I can’t see to put screws in, but I help with other things. I’m the ‘head tea boy’ so the first thing I do in the morning is to make the tea.”

Laughing is the best medicine

Tony added: “All men have suffered problems of some sort, and a lot of them are down to depression.

“Here, there’s no such thing as depression. How can you be depressed when you’re laughing.”

Douglas Ross MP said: “I know that there are active Men’s Shed groups across Moray and it was highlighted to me at my meeting with the Elgin group, which has a strong membership, how valuable they are in bringing like-minded people together in a way that helps reduce isolation and loneliness.”

Forres tourism businesses invited to find out more about TBID

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Tourism and visitor businesses in Forres are being invited to find out how a major initiative aims to provide a sustainable future for tourism development in Moray Speyside. Moray Speyside Tourism has launched a campaign to introduce a Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID) for Moray and Speyside which will provide businesses with an opportunity to … Read more