The Mavi Nye Foundation Has been launched, Oh! What a wonderful night it was.

We arrived at the Richmond Hill Hotel the day before the Launch of the MNF Event.

After settling in off we went through a rabbit warren of passages to the dinning room where , being the only ones there, we had the attention of the manager who chatted away to us and explained how the £8million refurb had taken place.

We had a lovely meal then an early night.

After breakfast and then lunch we got ready to receive all the guests as they arrived.

First along came the Mesowarriors one by one as we had arranged to meet up and have a coffee. Then after changing into our evening wear we met up again and went to the ballroom. It was strange as so many cyber friends arrived and I was realising that I just wasn’t seeing everyone, I do hope I haven’t not spoken to anyone as Ray managed to get to see so many but I was missing people.

So the scene was set and theses little devil’s with the help of the team from Moore Blatch and 12 KBW are the ones that have helped me to put it all together.

We had speeches in between each course and the food was wonderful.

Dr Peter Szlosarek has been telling my story and his thoughts on BBC Today and BBC Kent Live as well as the TV Interview we did for BBC South

Trevor was a true showman and ran the evening well as he told everyone how we met.

Trevor Stirling and Harry Steinburg QC Ran the Auction with Harry pushing the prices up all the time in fact he got £800 for 3 of Rays paintings. I had to push Rays mouth shut as it was wide open with every new bid.

A special Auction Prize was added by Linda Wride our events photographer. It sums up all the passion of the evening its what drives us Mesowarriors to fight back and give we have been hurt bad by Asbestos and we do all we can to raise Awareness to make our world safe as we don’t want to see any more deaths for this dangerous material.

Linda wrote —Iam donating a set of three framed prints of my original artwork (signed artist’s proofs) in wood frames which are each 4035mm high x 3035mm wide x 45mm deep.

By way of background information, I am making this donation in memory of my husband Steve (who was diagnosed with mesothelioma around the same time as Mavis) and to celebrate Mavis’s inspiration and support for the global mesothelioma community.

Steve took part in three clinic trials, as well as undergoing standard chemotherapy after his mesothelioma diagnosis in 2009. Sadly he was not eligible for the drug trial which has worked so well for Mavis. He died last year, almost 7 years post-diagnosis. Our story is told on my blog called “Doing Something Positive” http://doingsomethingpositive.blogspot.co.uk

Photography was a passion we both shared and which I continue to enjoy. Whilst not a professional photographer, my images have won international awards, been exhibited widely in the UK and abroad and published in the national press (including the Guardian Weekend Magazine and the Journal of the Royal Photographic Society). I’m an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society (ARPS) and have distinctions from the Photographic Alliance of Great Britain (DPAGB) and the Internal Federation of Photographic Art (AFIAP). I hope very much that the Rose Series prints will bring joy to the successful bidder and help raise funds for the Mavis Nye Foundation.

Thank you to all the wonderful Donors.

The room was perfect as it was all decorated for Christmas. Raffle prizes under the tree.

The evening came to an end so quickly I have such wonderful memories

There is one person that totally made my night. I know everyone there was so dear to my heart and had lived my story with me but Paul Robinson from MSD just had to have a special mention as he has been the MK3475 -28 Trial representative for me. Merck and Keytruda have saved my life and made the Mavis Nye Foundation possible.

I leave you with the Photo’s of the night That Linda Wride has taken but also the words from my son Terry Nye

I would like to thank all of the wonderful people involved in making last night possible. To me my mum is just my mum .But thanks to all your hard work and dedications you have made it possible for my mum and dad to enjoy several more years of happiness .My dad worships the ground my mum walks on . I am proud of my mum and dad. I have seen for myself just how much my mum is doing for others. A truly unselfish act, she has not just taken from you but is giving so much back .But words cannot express my gratitude to all of the hard work you all do. I don’t share these thoughts with my mum often because Trevor knows i still think my mum is a nightmare)