Help Beat Cancer
A request from the Oak Bloke
Dear reader,
It’s nearly 6 months since I requested people put their hands in their pocket (I asked pre Christmas that you support the work of the Samaritans and 10 readers very kindly obliged).
I ask you not for a subscription, just that you consider helping Bowel Cancer UK.
https://www.justgiving.com/page/oakbloke-bowelcancer
19 readers out of the nearly 2,000 subscribers have indicated you’d pay for the Oak Bloke blog. So I’m looking for at least 19 contributors please. I hope more.
The Oak Bloke has produced 229 articles since August 2023, covering over 100 investment ideas. Readers, read about 3,000 pages a day at no cost - which by my reckoning has generated some returns somewhere. So consider sharing some of your good fortune - or just consider the entertainment value of my work - to help me help Bowel Cancer UK in their research work.
£10 would be 4 pence per article. A donation of £229 would be £1 per article… it’s up to you! If you can help me get to at least £1000 I’ll be chuffed to bits and feel motivated to carry on Oak Bloking.
Bowel Cancer UK is seeking to drive awareness among people about a type of cancer we don’t like to talk about. It involves words like Faecal. It’s a faecal matter. But if we could just get people to talk about it and therefore diagnosed faster many, many more would beat this type of cancer. It’s very treatable. It’s a cause close to my own heart and thankfully not close to my own bowels - but it’s affected family members. Thank you in advance.
So if you’re moved to help then just visit:
https://www.justgiving.com/page/oakbloke-bowelcancer
to donate. Or click the subtle yellow button.
Thank you.
Regards
The Oak Bloke
Bowel Cancer UK today emailed and thanked me and therefore thanked you - reader - those of you who contributed. I am extremely grateful to those of you that contributed.
They were curious how I was able to raise such a large amount of money. I wrote this reply to Bowel Cancer UK which I will share with you. If you are a reader who didn't contribute (I estimate 98% of you didn't - and I guess it's highly unlikely that you will revisit this page - but if you do please do consider a contribution to help a very worthy cause. Maybe this open letter prompts you to action, why is why I publish it.
Dear xxxxxxx
It's quite simply really.
I write a blog called The Oak Bloke investment blog.
https://theoakbloke.substack.com/
It contains investment ideas and thus far I've kept the blog free at point of use.
But a couple of times a year I ask my readers to contribute to a cause in lieu of paying for a subscription.
This is the article where I asked them to help you.
https://theoakbloke.substack.com/p/help-beat-cancer
Meanwhile I work for a company who (up to a point) are willing to match fund any fund raising its employees carry out. So they very kindly doubled up the contribution.
I have about 1100 subscribers and growing and around 3500 page reads a day so 41 donors was actually quite disappointing (i.e. probably only 1-2% actually donated). But such is life.
My father in law died last Sunday of cancer. His cancer began as bowel cancer and he was a typical person who didn't go to the Doctor until he had to.
So I felt I had to do something. I am delighted to share with you that he knew of the donation before he passed and he was extremely proud and impressed.
He was a hard core communist so hated my "bourgeoise capitalist blog" but respected my intelligence. I will miss my chats with him.
I am delighted that some of my readers value my work to the extent some contributed £100-£150 (which is about what a comparable subscription to something like the Investors Chronicle would charge for 6 months). In my opinion that contribution was a fair amount. Others gave a fiver. Again such is life. It all adds up.
I don't feel I can ask my subscribers again until Christmas approaches and I probably will support either the Poppy Appeal or the Salvation Army, next time. But I am happy to run another fund raise for Bowel Cancer UK in the future.
Thank you for all the work you do, and please do thank the team also.
Have a good weekend.
The Oak Bloke
Thanks for the reminder. Wish you success in all your endeavours.