Hesperus Press is a small, independent publisher and this year they are celebrating their 10th anniversary; they have launched a competition to celebrate.

They want you to recommend an out-of-print book that you would like to see back in print. You need to write a 500 word introduction explaining why you believe the book is worthy of re-publishing.  If they publish your choice, it will come out in September, and will include your introduction.

Closing date is 1st June, so there's no time to delay - more details here.

I am thrilled to be able to say that the both finished - despite, in Celia's case, some injuries which threatened her participation.  The official results are here.

We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of spirit and openness of wallets that has been shown - thank you very much indeed.  So far, they have raised over £6,500, over £2,000 of which has come from Oldie readers  You can follow the success by clicking here.  I shouldn't be surprised; all the emails I get from readers are charming and thoughtful. That's Oldie readers for you.

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The Oldie is always first with the news.

This is a cancer-related story with a happy ending, but we all have many friends whose families have been as directly affected by cancer as ours with less happy results.

Because they know how lucky we have been, Duncan and his big sister Celia (that's them on the left, at Duncan's Graduation) have decided to raise money for Cancer Research UK, a charity that is instrumental in finding cures for various types of cancer, including the one Duncan had.

Research into cancer saved Duncan's life and has saved the lives of so many others and we'd love it to continue so even more lives can be saved. They have decided to start by asking for donors to support them running in the Brighton Marathon on 15th April 2012.

Their friends have already been very generous, but I can't tell you how much I'd appreciate any donation from anyone who reads my column in The Oldie in support of this splendid charity.

If you feel you would like to contribute, however modestly (or generously), please click here and push the "Donate now" button.

It only takes a matter of minutes, is totally secure and you can leave a message with your donation too, if you want, or remain anonymous. If you pay UK tax, Justgiving will automatically reclaim 28% Gift Aid on your donation at no cost or effort to you, so it's even better for the charity.

Here's that link again: click here and press the "Donate now" button.

If you do feel able to help, thank you very much indeed - but in any event, thank you for finding the time to read this post.

He made this video to alarm you: