Hello - this is Nigel ... long-standing friend and (fairly) regular (fairly) musical side-kick of Jocelyn Lavin, who, as I think most of you will know, has been in hospital since an emergency admission in March with necrotising pancreatitis and a few other things I'm quite glad I don't have to spell!

A combination of the marvels of modern medicine and no doubt a side helping of old-fashioned stubbornness later, Jocelyn is starting to prepare for discharge - but she's had to accept that the flat she was living in (with the delightful Felicity cat - who's been lodging with Lydia and I these past months) isn't going to be suitable for completing her rehabilitation.

So - the plan is that she's giving up the flat and will move into a ground floor room at her Mum's house which will be good for Joc at first, then good for her Mum later. So far, so practical.

The issue will be removals. Jocelyn has a flat pretty much full of ... stuff - including her furniture and a piano (which has been part of her life *and* her livelihood) - which will need lifting and shifting from near Rochdale to the other side of Manchester. Joc's sister Michelle and a couple of friends and I looked at the ... stuff, and quickly came to the conclusion that - especially with a piano involved - this was a job for professionals.

And that's where I'm going with this. A LOT of Jocelyn's friends/colleagues/choralists have been asking how they might be able to help. And while there's been sterling support on the hospital visiting (no small thanks to Michelle's co-ordination!), there's no denying that any financial support to pay for the removals would a) really help and b) be massively appreciated.

A very rough estimate for boxing and packing of ... stuff, and safe piano transfer is looking at between £900 and £1500 and while I wouldn't dream of expecting to raise that kinda money here, any thing we could rustle up between us would make the final bill easier. We're looking into some proper quotes and I'll adjust the information here when we have some real numbers.

So, if you can, could you please consider chipping in a few quid? I have lots of photos of Felicity with Big Sad Eyes(*) if anyone is susceptible to emotional blackmail ...

As I read it, the gofundme organisation takes a bit less than 3% of monies and about 30p per donation to cover infrastructure costs - but I think this is the easiest way to do this. Apologies if this comes across as cheeky - please feel free to ignore it.

But if you choose not to ignore it - we'd all be really grateful,

Nigel

(*) usually only when she's hungry in the 3 and a half seconds her dish is empty