Northampton breast cancer group raises over £800 at comedy night

Generous donators raised £860 for a Northampton peer support group so they can continue to help women in this county battling breast cancer.
Mandy Orton is recovering from breast cancer and organised an evening of comedy to raise money for her peer support group.
L-R: Pete Teckman (compere) Mandy Orton and Lewis Dellar (singer).Mandy Orton is recovering from breast cancer and organised an evening of comedy to raise money for her peer support group.
L-R: Pete Teckman (compere) Mandy Orton and Lewis Dellar (singer).
Mandy Orton is recovering from breast cancer and organised an evening of comedy to raise money for her peer support group. L-R: Pete Teckman (compere) Mandy Orton and Lewis Dellar (singer).

Leonie Heard started Breast Friends Northampton along with Clair Lineham and Jennie Legg, who were all diagnosed within six months of each other and each with different experiences, after they met by chance.

Breast Friends Northampton is not only a support group but a peer support group that promotes wellbeing, provides information and opportunities for relevant support in a locally accessible, inclusive and friendly environment.

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With statistics showing that one in eight women will suffer from breast cancer in their lifetime, the group believes that no person should go through a diagnosis, treatment and post-recovery by themselves.

Di Ellis entertaining the crowds at RFC on Saturday night (June 4).Di Ellis entertaining the crowds at RFC on Saturday night (June 4).
Di Ellis entertaining the crowds at RFC on Saturday night (June 4).

On Saturday (August 4) the peer group hosted a female charity comedy night with comics Jo Enright, Annette Fagon and Di Ellis at Northampton Casuals Rugby Football Club in Rush Mills Road in a bid to raise £500 for Breast Friends Northampton to support women affected by breast cancer in this county.

But generous fundraisers surpassed all expectations.

Many Orton, 55, of Abington, said: "From my perspective it was a wonderful night. Everyone went down so well and the audience never stopped laughing.

"Lewis, our singer, who sang during the intervals was fantastic too. We had some fantastic raffle prizes donated by local businesses and raised a whopping £860 profit from ticket sales and the raffle.

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"The comedy line-up were all women, which seemed fitting as the event was to raise money for Breast Friends Northampton, a local breast cancer charity, who support anyone affected by breast cancer."

Mandy was featured on the Chron’s front page back in February after she could not afford to pay her bills due to leaving her self-employed job and undergoing cancer treatment. But in a desperate bid to raise £6,000 in arrears payments, before her home became repossessed, she set up a public fundraising page and says she has been touched by human kindness after readers pledged what they could to help.

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