Send Joshua A Get Well Card

This week, am I proud to call myself a dragon. I have been asked to sit on a panel with four fellow dragons for a Dragon s Den style competition, which will offer a local business person the opportunity to run their business from the e-space north Busines

This week, am I proud to call myself a dragon. I have been asked to sit on a panel with four fellow dragons for a Dragon's Den style competition, which will offer a local business person the opportunity to run their business from the e-space north Business Park in Littleport free of charge for three months.

It is a fantastic prize for someone to get a foot on the ladder and obtain the services and expertise of local business people.

The other dragons include, Jo Pooley who is a solicitor, Chris Grey, the deputy manager of Barclays Bank in Ely, Roger Hetherington, advice manger with Business Link East and Gary Hartwig, managing director of Packwell D & S Limited in Chettisham. I hope we all look suitably menacing in the photograph on Page 13. But if you are thinking of entering, please be assured we look meaner than we are. We all feel excited at the prospect of helping and encouraging a local business to grow.

Last week we ran an article about Joshua Hinchliffe. Joshua is just six years old and he has experienced more pain in his little life than most people would do in a life time.

He has cancer in his liver, abdomen, pelvis and peritoneum (stomach lining) and is currently having chemotherapy. Joshua's mum Janette contacted us a couple of weeks ago to say that the one thing that would cheer her son up more than anything would be to receive some 'get well' cards. I am very happy to say that our readers have responded magnificently and in a couple of days we received about 50 and when Joshua came to the office on Tuesday I was able to give them to him. I want to thank everybody who has taken the trouble to send Joshua a card, his face lit up when he saw the huge pile, but please keep on sending them in. Joshua has more chemo in the next few days and it would be great for him to have another huge pile to open when he is feeling a bit better.

Special thanks to the couple who sent Joshua a plastic jumping spider, he loved it and took great delight at scaring his mum with it.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Simply send a get well card to: Joshua Hinchliffe, care of the Ely Standard, 38 Market Street, Ely, Cambs, CB7 4LS.

You can also leave a message at: www.elystandard24.co.uk/joshua.