Against all odds, the dying man's friends have raised more than £18,000 to fly him via helicopter to the iconic music festival.
Nigel Stonehouse aged 58, a former bricklayer from Hartlepool, was tragically diagnosed with kidney cancer mid-may.
Having bought a general admission ticket to the festival in 2019, he expected to be able to attend in full health. Unfortunately this wasn't the case, and he was told that he was too unwell to travel to the Somerset festival which starts this Thursday, 23 June.
But thanks to his friends and their monumental fundraiser, he will now be travelling to the festival via helicopter with a medical team by his side.
Having heard of Nigel's love for the festival which he has been attending for over 40 years, the care team at North Tees Hospital encouraged Mr Stonehouse's friends to hire a helicopter for the trip as he will be unable to enter via general admission.
Image: Maria Beggs
The friends were quoted £12,000 and so set up a GoFundMe named 'Get Nige to Glasto', in an attempt to raise the money and get Nigel to his beloved festival, even if it were for just a few hours.
Just 48 hours later the money was raised and the transport arranged. Support was received by Glastonbury veteran and DJ, Fatboy Slim, who urged others to help out.
"Folks. I’ve been contacted by the friend of a terminally ill man who wants to go to Glasto 1 last time. He’s so poorly with cancer they’re going to have to fly him in by air ambulance. If you’d join me in helping Nige’s dying wish then pls donate here", the DJ tweeted.
Image: Glastonbury Festival
The total raised currently stands at more than £18,000 with over 800 people donating to the worthy cause.
Lizzie Begs, close friend of Nigel has said "The last 48 hours have been an absolute whirlwind, we are all completely overwhelmed by the kindness we have been shown, in true Glastonbury spirit!"
"Nige has been utterly overwhelmed by the outpouring of love for him, it has given him such a boost and he cannot wait to be on site and hopefully thank some of you personally. He hopes to shake the hand of the absolute legend Fatboy Slim himself for shining a light on this campaign. It means the world."
Image: Glastonbury Festival
The generosity and kindness that the Glastonbury community have shown toward Nigel perfectly represents what the festival is all about. It has been confirmed that if Mr Stonehouse is unfortunately too unwell to attend, then the money will be donated to the Glastonbury charities in his name.
Half a million men are needed to take part in a ‘major’ cancer research programme.
From this week, the NHS has announced that it will begin contacting 500,000 men to invite them to join a major research programme that will work to improve the vital early detection and treatment of prostate cancer.
Men who have had or are living with prostate cancer will receive letters and text messages explaining how they can register to take part.
It’s hoped that this will become one of the world’s largest prostate cancer studies.
Formally named ‘Prostate Progress’, the study is designed to speed up the development of better tests, treatments, and care – with the NHS aiming to recruit as many participants as possible to improve how prostate cancer is diagnosed and treated, as well as understanding the side effects of treatment and the impact they have on quality of life.
The NHS urgently needs 500,000 men to take part in a ‘major’ cancer research programme / Credit: rawpixel
Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK, with around 60,000 new cases diagnosed every year and over 12,000 deaths annually.
Men who join ‘Prostate Progress’ will be asked to complete questionnaires about their experiences of living with the disease every few months.
Verified researchers will then be able compare men’s experiences of living with prostate cancer against their NHS records – including their symptoms and quality of life.
The NHS says it is ‘particularly keen’ to hear from black men for the programme, as they are at approximately twice the risk of developing prostate cancer – with around one in four black men in the UK expected to be diagnosed during their lifetime.
“Better representation will help researchers understand and address differences in diagnosis, treatment and outcomes,” the NHS said in a statement.
“Prostate cancer is now the most common cancer in the UK,” explained Health Minister, James Frith. “Every piece of data we gather brings us closer to the tests and treatments that future patients will depend on to live well for longer.
“Prostate Progress has the potential to become a hugely important resource, but only if men come forward and share their experiences, so I encourage anyone who receives an invitation to sign up.
“This is the kind of innovation the government’s National Cancer Plan is designed to support, making the NHS a world-leading destination for cancer research and ensuring patients across the country can help shape the treatments of tomorrow.”
Featured Image – Vitaly Gariev (via Unsplash)
UK News
When Yorkshire is due to get hot as a fourth heatwave of the year hits the UK
Danny Jones
Yes, ANOTHER heatwave is set to hit the UK - the fourth in 2026 so far - and, understandably, Yorkshire residents are already preparing for the latest blast of hot weather and wondering when it arrives.
Yes, in case you missed the news, more high temperatures are set to spread across the UK and Ireland this month and heading into August.
The increase will gradually build throughout this week, with Wednesday tipped to be the hottest day according to various meteorologists.
While Yorkshire thankfully isn't quite slated to get the sweatiest, parts of the Midlands and the usual suspects down south are set to hit the highest numbers, but the thermometers are still on course to reach around the mid-20s over the coming days.
Estimates of 26°C were predicted for this coming Tuesday, with the levels floating in and around 24/25 on the following Wednesday.
The heat is then due to drop off slowly, with top scores of no higher than 21°C on the cards for Thursday and Friday. Although the weekend forecast is less certain at present, one thing that has been announced is reduced rainfall.
Aside from a few more trickles today (Mon, 27 July), the showers or lack thereof cease rather soon, with some of the driest parts of the country already having various effects; for instance, parched parts of Wales have even revealed lost archaeological sites last Friday (24/7/2026).
It would be remiss if we didn't mention the obvious moorland fires across our region, which were sadly exacerbated by hot weather earlier this month.
At least it'll be a bit cooler here than in other parts of the country. ☀️
Clementine Hall -
21st June 2022 
