Keith Payne is a person who makes issues occur. In the Nineteen Seventies he helped flip Ingliston market right into a nationwide phenomenon. Later, he ran the Kinross indoor market. And for the final 10 years, he has welcomed bargain-hunters of their 1000’s to the Errol Sunday market.
So it ought to come as no shock that he’s persevering with to make issues occur, regardless of a terminal most cancers prognosis.
The dad of 5 responded to the information that he has prostate most cancers and superior gastric most cancers by launching a fundraising attraction on behalf of three charities within the spring.
The purpose was to lift £15,000 and provides £5,000 every to Prostate Cancer UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK.
It has been so successful that it has already raised twice its goal.
And now Keith, identified affectionately as Mr P to his Errol market regulars, is popping his consideration to elevating consciousness of most cancers signs within the hope of saving another person’s life.
“My diagnosis was a hard pill to swallow,” stated Keith.
“I did a little bit of ‘why me, poor me’ once I was informed. But that’s probably not in my character.
“Now every day is a bonus.”
Cancer prognosis stopped Keith in his tracks
Keith, from Errol, was recruited by businessman Morris Leslie to run the Sunday market at Errol Airfield simply over a decade in the past.
He’d steered the Ingliston Market to giddy heights within the Nineteen Seventies and 80s, even buying the giant King Kong statue that turned its trademark.
In its heyday it boasted greater than 3,000 stalls. And 500 coachloads of day-trippers used to converge on the location close to Edinburgh from throughout Scotland and the north of England.
Keith made an analogous success of Errol.
Billed as “Scotland’s premier Sunday market and car boot sale”, it usually attracts as much as 10,000 folks. And Keith was appointed director final 12 months, in recognition of all he has achieved, significantly popping out of the pandemic.
But in late 2021, he began feeling torpid. He was having to rise up a number of instances an evening to go to the bathroom.
So he visited his physician in January 2022 and was referred for a sequence of scans and exams.
In March 2022 he realized he had prostate most cancers and gastric most cancers – and that there have been no therapy choices to increase his life.
He stored the prognosis quiet for some time.
But by this 12 months the results had been starting to take their toll. He has misplaced about eight stone in weight.
And that’s when his thoughts turned to all of the issues he nonetheless wished to realize.
‘Team work makes the dream work’: the Keith Payne motto
Keith joined forces with Lee-Anne Wilson within the Morris Leslie advertising and marketing division in March, and between them they hatched a fundraising plan.
Since then, the Keith Payne Big C and Me attraction has snowballed.
Colleagues have thrown themselves into every little thing from skydives to bake gross sales. And market stall holders and merchants have poured each spare penny and pound into assortment buckets.
The attraction shortly smashed by its authentic £15,000 goal and the full is presently standing at simply over £30,000.
Now, Keith’s pet charity CHAS can even obtain £5,000.
And the three authentic charities – Prostate Cancer UK, Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research UK – will every obtain a 3rd of what stays.
Keith stated he’d been “blown away” by the success.
“When Lee-Anne suggested we aim for £15,000 I just put my head in my hands,” he laughed.
“I assumed we’d by no means have the ability to elevate that quantity of money.
“But I’ve always said ‘team work makes the dream work’.”
We channelled our unhappiness into one thing constructive
Lee-Anne stated Keith’s associates felt honoured to have the ability to return the years of loyalty, help and friendship he had proven to them.
“From the start, Keith stated that alone he may solely accomplish that a lot. But collectively, along with his households, associates and colleagues by his aspect, we’d type a military and make nice issues occur. And that’s precisely what now we have accomplished.
“Keith gave us an opportunity to channel our sadness into something positive and we have been inspired to help him reach his goal.”
Keith’s GoFundMe web page remains to be open.
