Friends, family and colleagues go the extra mile for Mel

Saturday 08 July 2023

Trainers and walking shoes have been donned by workmates, friends and family members to support a Jersey mum who has been undergoing treatment for cancer.

The ‘Miles for Mel’ initiative has been set up to raise funds for Mel Tidy, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in August 2022 and has subsequently been undergoing treatment, including chemotherapy.

While Mel has returned to work, her situation has had a financial as well as emotional effect on her family, something her colleagues at All Island Media, parent company of Bailiwick Express and the JEP, wanted to help with.

Victoria Pearce, who has worked with Mel since she joined AIM in April last year, said: “We were all shocked when we heard the news about Mel and lots of staff wanted to do something to support her.

“We felt a bit helpless as we knew we couldn't help medically – that's a job for the experts – but then realised that there was something we could do to help with the financial impact of what has happened.”

Pictured: Mel Tidy, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in August 2022.

The Miles for Mel initiative will see participants aim to raise £5,000 by walking 5,000 miles during the summer.

Mel’s friends have also signed up to take part, and the fundraiser has gained an international element as family members from the UK, as well as cousins in New York, have also pledged to clock up some miles of their own. 

The 38-year-old business development manager, who lives with her husband Jake and the couple's two-year-old daughter, has endured numerous medical procedures and treatments over the past 11 months, including having to travel to the UK for complex surgery, and is currently undergoing her second round of chemotherapy.

Pictured: The fundraiser is around a fifth of the way towards its target.

She said: “I'm a bit humbled and overwhelmed that people would do this for me, and since the idea came about I've had a lot of friends and family members wanting to take part.”

Mel added that she hoped that her experience in having her cancer diagnosis at a relatively early stage and tackling it head on would send a positive message to others.

More than £1,000 has been raised so far, one fifth of the way towards the overall target.

DONATE...

You can visit the Miles for Mel crowdfunding page and donate here.

Find out more about Mel's story here.