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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

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Thanks for the reminder. Wish you success in all your endeavours.

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