Clayborne the Cancer Research Teddy

Clayborne, the Cancer Research Teddy, is a familiar face on my travels. He has been with me a long time and has actually travelled more than me. During the COVID-19 Pandemic, he went on a repatriation flight to the United States, looked after by Virgin Atlantic — even riding in the cockpit. Clayborne is a massive part of my life and an important companion as I travel across the world.

Like all of our previous trips, Clayborne will be coming with us to Osaka and Kyoto. He will not only be showcasing our travels to all of you, who read my blog. But he will also be illuminating Cancer Research UK — which has a special place in my heart!

Clayborne was born in 2019, while I volunteered for Cancer Research in Portsmouth, on the south coast of England. Having worked for different charities in the past, Cancer Research UK, soon became my firm favourite. Working with genuine, altruistic people who wanted to make a difference, rubbed off on my sense of purpose — pulling at my heart strings. At a particularly vulnerable time in my life, I formed friendships with colleagues, who taught me the importance of giving back to the community where I lived.

The little bear has become a champion for this UK-based charity, even today, 7 years later. Despite no longer volunteering for this remarkable organisation, I was able to take a little piece of it with me here to Australia. Volunteering for Cancer Research after my Great Aunt died from Cancer and while Darrell was in Australia caring for his Mother, suffering from multiple myeloma, was an important part of coming to terms with loss and illness. From Zerina my Manager in the Portsmouth store, to everyone who worked there, I was supported every step of the way. Cancer Research UK was by far the best charity I have ever worked for. The people, institution and causes it champions have become an integral element in my own personal story. Clayborne is a link to a past littered with heartache and pain. But he is also a symbol of compassion in a story that continues today.

If you are an avid reader of my other blog, roamingbrit.com, you will have seen photographs of Clayborne, as he navigated new countries with me and Darrell. Today he is looking rather worn and dog-eared. His head is a little wobbly and fur decidedly matted, but he is still going strong, as a reminder of holidays to far off places during happier times and the people I met who shaped my life.

If you wish to donate to Cancer Research UK, please click on the photo of Clayborne below.