Esther is hoping for a sell-out success at the festive dinner dance she is organising in December
A grandmother-of-four living with an incurable form of cancer is focusing all her energies, on her “good days”, on fundraising for the charity that supports her. So far, Esther Shoebridge, of Beverley, has raised £13,500 for Myeloma UK since being diagnosed with the rare blood cancer in early 2021.
Now she is busy with the final details for her Sparkling Christmas Dinner Ball, which is being held at The Beverley Barn, on Friday, December 5. The event, with a specially curated menu by 2023 MasterChef contestant Nick Rapson – “The Latin Chef” – is almost sold out but Esther, a former optician, has her sights set on selling the final dozen tickets.
“I’ve just had a fashion show at the beginning of November that raised £1,055 – Mirage [cocktail bar and bistro], in Beverley, kindly gave me the venue – and I was charging £20 a ticket, with £10 of it going towards the welcome drink and bar food,” said Esther. “A DJ from York had given their time for it and then some very lovely man came in and paid for everyone’s food.
“Then the bar owner said they would pay for everyone’s drinks, so it meant all of the £20 from each ticket went to Myeloma UK. That was so nice.”
Esther first took part in a “Challenge 24” fundraising event during Myeloma Awareness Week, in June 2022, walking four miles a day for five days. The going was tough as Esther had only just undergone intensive treatment; she raised over £2,000 from it.
Married to Philip and mum to one daughter – who is flying in from the US where she lives and works to sing at the December dinner – and two stepsons, Esther went on to hold a successful coffee morning in 2023 and a “Bridgerton” themed afternoon tea in 2024. A dinner dance at Little Wold Vineyard, where Esther had previously met chef Nick, last November raised over £5,700 for her cause, with everyone encouraging Esther to run another one.
“Nick and I had a real connection and he agreed to do the food for me at last year’s event. It was amazing.
“Nick came to my house this time and asked me about my life and my food memories. He has curated a gourmet menu for this December’s event around my food likes and recollections.
“I’ve got an amazing silent auction organised with some unique prizes.” Esther said her current treatment was “holding things in place”.
She said: “My cancer’s not gone – if I stopped treatment it would come straight back – but I am living better than I have done since diagnosis.” She was asked to speak at the Royal Society of Medicine about why research into myeloma is important, and to push for “softer, gentler treatments”.
She said: “I still vomit, I still feel poorly, but I know after a few days it will pass.” When Esther was diagnosed with myeloma, she had experienced months of “baffling” symptoms.
By the time it was caught, she had lost two stone, and was constantly trying to hold her neck up – it was actually broken, caused by two small tumours pressing against a neck vertebra. Highlighting Esther as one of its standout volunteer fundraisers for the charity, Myeloma UK shared her story back in September.
Esther had heard of Myeloma UK’s services within a few months of her diagnosis. She said in the charity’s report about her: “I was very grateful to Myeloma UK for being there to support people like me.
“In December 2021 I hosted a small fundraising event in my street, selling cakes and crafts, and raised £531. I really enjoyed it and knew I wanted to do more.”
Talking about last year’s dinner dance, she said: “I enjoyed the dinner dance event most out of all the challenges and events. It was so satisfying to raise a significant amount for Myeloma UK, with all my friends and family. I even had friends there from as far as Crete.”
She added: “I feel that I was given myeloma so that I could help raise awareness and fundraise, it brings me such joy. I’ve made wonderful friendships and lovely memories along the way.”
Tickets for Esther’s dinner dance cost £125 per guest. Call 07483 873850 or email eshoebridge@btinternet.com for more details.
To find out more about Myeloma UK, visit the website.