Car enthusiasts unite in Grantham to raise money in memory of a friend and father from Stamford who passed away from brain cancer

Car enthusiasts have united for a Macmillan Coffee Morning to raise money and remember friend, colleague and father Robin Duxbury, who died after developing brain cancer.

Robin, 46, from Stamford, was diagnosed with a brain tumour two days before Christmas 2020. He had surgery to remove 90 per cent of the tumour, followed by radiotherapy, however Robin died in the arms of wife Suzie in August 2021.

Close friend Paul Sharman, 43, who met Robin through their shared interest in classic cars, wanted to do something to honour Robin’s memory and raise money for Macmillan, who supported Robin and his family.

So he and his colleagues hosted a Macmillan Coffee Morning, at their business ‘Barkston Refinishing’ in Grantham, where Robin spent many hours working alongside Paul restoring his car. The event brought together family, friends and car enthusiasts to celebrate Robin’s life.

His wife Suzie,49, was there too. She praised the support she, Robin and their three children, had from their Macmillan nurse.

Suzie said: “We wanted to continue living as normal a life as possible for as long as we could and Liz, our Macmillan nurse, allowed us to do that. There were so many different people and agencies involved at the end, but she kept us away from all of that. She wrapped us in a protective bubble so we could continue to be a family.

“It meant we could do things like fill his room with balloons on his birthday and help him fulfil his bucket list. When our son turned 18 we all opened presents in Robin’s room. He died a week later.”

She continued: “He had a bucket list. Everyone got to add something to the bucket list. Robin wanted to do the North Coast 500, so we drove eight hours to Inverness and we did a small section of it. I was so worried about being so far away from home, but Liz told me what I should do and how I should do it. Macmillan’s support made these things possible.”

Robin wanted to die at home so Liz supported Suzie so she could administer the drugs and care for him in his final days.

Suzie said: “She helped me to give Robin the end of life experience that he wanted. She gave me the tools to make sure he got his wishes. He got to die in the way he wanted to die, at home surrounded by his family and dogs.”

Robin, a motorcross and classic car enthusiast, bonded with Paul when he enlisted Paul’s help to restore a 1960s Mercedes Benz. During his illness, it was his love of cars which helped Robin retain a sense of normality and Paul remained close to the family.

Suzie said: “Paul was an amazing support for Robin. That was one of the hardest things to get his head around, that he’d never drive a car again. Cars were a massive part of who he was. He’d go and see Paul and they’d talk cars and he’d come away feeling normal. He wasn’t dying of cancer, he was normal Robin. He would have loved the Macmillan Coffee and Cars event so much.”

She added: “What was great about the event was there were maybe five females there and the rest were men, sharing their cancer experiences. Men are getting better at talking about their feelings and asking for support, but it’s about finding the right time and place.

“They won’t talk about it at the dinner table but they might discuss it idly looking at cars. Sharing his feelings, for Robin, was a closed door, but he realised it was better to share his feelings before the end, he realised it was important to talk.”

Paul’s coffee morning event raised £544 for Macmillan.

Paul said: “Cancer affects so many people, if we can do something to raise money and make things a little easier for people, we will.”

Jamie Davenport, Macmillan fundraising manager for Lincolnshire, said: “Raising a mug and a few quid for Macmillan really can improve someone’s life, whether it’s with your pals in the park, a virtual coffee morning, or a classic car event like Paul did.

“Every single coffee morning hosted or attended enables Macmillan to do whatever it takes to support people living with cancer and their families.”

Sign up to host a World’s Biggest Coffee Morning here.

For information, support or just someone to talk to, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00 or visit macmillan.org.uk