I'VE been working over the past year on the arrangements for Operation Manna, the celebrations for the 70th anniversary since the Lancaster Bombers made the food drops into HolLand to the Dutch people who were starving.

Frank Tolley, bomb aimer, BEM, the Hobblers and Wobblers club's president, made four of those drops behind enemy lines.

Frank and I were able to attend the unveiling at Lincoln Cathedral of a beautiful mosaic of bulbs that had been planted by the Dutch earlier.

Sadly, I was not able to attend the Lincolnshire Lancaster Association members' day in early October.

I hadn't been well since May, but thankfully I was able to attend a Buckingham Palace garden party with 'David the Gloryman'. David is a deputy headmaster near Coventry and has been preaching the gospel since he was 14. he took me to the RAF Members' club in |London. From there I was able to tell them of the work I'd done regarding Operation Manna. From there we visited the Bomber Memorial.

My health deteriorated after that and when my daughter, Barbara Hallwood, took me to the doctor, it was diagnosed as cancer of the bowel and lungs.

They said I'd had it for a long time. You can imagine what a shock that was but I'm so grateful to say that I was in hospital at Wythenshawe Ward A6 within a week.

Mr Wal Baraza and his team operated.

St Mary's Church in Bowdon is sending chaplains to the hospital. I'd like more people to get involved with that.

When people ask for a chaplain to pray they need them immediately. That didn't happen with me. We need to see a need and meet it!

Please help if you can.

I missed all the celebrations as scorer at Timperley Cricket Club. Both the first and second team won and will now be going into the Premier League.

I would like people to help the cancer ward.

Why not have a fundraising celebration dinner (to thank God Scary Mary BEM is still alive?)

'Scary' Mary Blackburn BEM,

Bowdon, of Hobblers and Wobblers