Jan 2026, a bit of a catch up

It's been a while since my last post 6 months in fact. Summer has gone by, and now the cold, damp, and chilly days of winter are here—brrrr. I don't like these cold and damp days, and lately, I've been finding it harder to get warm and stay warm, even with the heating on high.

Last year wasn't my best, but my doctor says it's all part of being over 21. I'm now down to one kidney, so I need to take care of it, and my asthma has become more noticeable lately. It feels like I'm constantly visiting the doctor or Addenbrooke's for more check-ups, scans, and additional scans.

Nevertheless, life goes on. My health issues now affect my holiday insurance, making it more difficult to travel abroad. I have two trips planned: one to the Isle of Wight in February and another to Scotland in March. I'm hoping to book a trip to Alcudia in June, as I really need some sun, sea, and sangria.

The Poppy Appeal in 2025 raised over £25,000, with final figures expected to be closer to £26,000, maybe more, we'll have to wait and see. Planning for the 2026 campaign is now underway, with a new group of helpers stepping in as two members of the old team retire. Since taking on the role of PAO (Poppy Appeal Organiser), I have increased donations from £11,000, mainly by partnering with supermarkets, which is the most effective approach, bringing in at least £500 a day and proving to be more successful than street collections.

The end of 2025 was busy with the Poppy Appeal. Although it lasts just two weeks, it takes up most of my time starting in September due to all the necessary planning. Even now, I'm still working on sending out and delivering thank you cards. After that, Christmas took over, and my wife is involved in a Panto that is performed in late January. Now that everything is finished, I finally have time to focus on the upcoming months.

In 2025, I started a project involving a donated K6 telephone box, which is now located in Challis Gardens. I am working on restoring it to its former glory. It has been sandblasted and repainted, with a new front door installed, and all the glass and fittings have been cleaned and replaced as needed. The plan is to add an A/B button coin box mechanism once funds permit. You can find its story on Facebook by searching for "K6 the big red restore."

Another project is my RX8, but maybe that will be in one of the next blogs.......

Well that,s it..... hope life is treating you all well......

PS this the 100th blog...... And lastly Thank you All for the birthday wishes....

Colin