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Stephen Sutton

Every now and then a figure appears in our national life to give hope for the future. Paradoxically - given his incurable cancer - one such was Stephen Sutton. In a week when the self-centredness of certain ageing popstars was made apparent Stephen, clearly near to the end of a tragically young life, continued to raise money for a cancer charity that would help others. In a week when Katie Price courted sympathetic publicity over her latest inane relationship failure he sought not sympathy about but awareness of and action against the terrible illness that would soon kill him. Celebrity magazines may struggle to see which is more important, but the £3.2 million raised through Stephen’s efforts thus far, a remarkable legacy, is a clue. His example also provided other, less tangible but perhaps equally valuable, benefits: a reminder that time is precious; and an illustration, contrary to media caricatures of shiftless young people, of their potential, a potential in his case only partly realised because his time was cut short. But what a magnificent, unselfish, inspirational, fun-loving and utterly heroic effort while it lasted.

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Gentlemen, when the enemy is committed to a mistake we must not interrupt him too soon - Horatio Nelson
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Tolpuddle Martyrs Sentenced - 1834, Argentine Forces land on South Georgia - 1982
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