Mike Tennent and his good friend Nigel Auckland, both lived with cancer, and decided to produce, design and sell for cancer research charities a range of all occasion blank cards using their own striking wildlife and landscape photographs.
They were keen photographers and together they started the Bishops Waltham Camera Society using Mike’s training centre as a lecture room and workshops area for people to learn how to take digital images.
The project began in June 2016 when they selected just 10 of their pictures to have the first set of professionally printed cards 7 x 5 produced and individually placed in polythene envelopes, perfect for charity shops to sell. After the first 1000 were printed, they were delighted with the quality, and they eagerly began the project in August 2016
They donated 400 cards to our Head Office so that they could be placed in the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation charity shops in the North West to raise money for lung cancer research and support.
The cards were so well received that by the end of September they had to produce a further 1000 cards. Also, Mike added a further product, specially designed bookmarks. They sold the cards and bookmarks to their friends, through craft fairs and table top exhibits and of course at cancer related events. As you may imagine, they were delighted to raise over £1600.00 in the 4 months until Christmas
During December Nigel sadly passed away in a Hospice in Southampton. Right to the end he was enthusiastic, cheerful and helpful about the whole project, to raise money and inspired Mike to develop the project further.
Sadly, Mike passed away in May, 2017, but you can still purchase his cards from our online shop here or email amy.clarke@roycastle.org.
