'Cheshire jam man' inspires mass fundraising day

Mr Cook has his own logo for his Cheshire Jam Man preserves

A care home boss who raises funds for a cancer charity through his passion for jam-making has inspired a national fundraising day.

Alister Cook from Higher Whitley, Cheshire, began fundraising for Lymphoma Action for helping his "mental preservation" after being diagnosed.

Now care homes he heads are backing the charity by holding tea parties.

Doddlespool Hall near Crewe is among those marking Mr Cook's 63rd birthday on Saturday 6 April with activities.

The home has invited members of the public along to an afternoon of fun which includes live music, stalls and a raffle.

Some staff members said they were going in on their day off to help at the event which is on from 14:00 to 16:00 BST.

The home in Main Road, Betley, is among eight in the Cinnabar Support and Living (CSL) and Brancaster groups taking part. It includes bases in Buckinghamshire, Cumbria and South Yorkshire.

Mr Cook began making jams, marmalades and chutneys after moving to a farmhouse which had a rich variety of fruit trees and bushes.

"There were quite a few, damsons, apples and raspberry canes when we moved there seven or eight years ago," he said.

"And things fell off the trees and rotted, which is probably quite common these days.

"But I though this was a terrible waste."

Doddlespool Hall manager Mandy Dennis is helping raise funds

The businessman, whose background includes retail and hospitality, began experimenting with recipes and giving the homemade delights to family and friends.

He was soon given the nickname Cheshire Jam Man and it stuck.

But he was surprised when he did a stocktake and found he had built a collection of about 150 jars of preserves.

Last year Mr Cook's life changed when he was diagnosed with cancer following a routine blood test for a prostate check. He was sent for an MRI scan.

"I was told I had low grade non-Hodgkin follicular lymphoma and had no idea what that meant," he said.

He now believes night sweats he put down to the stress of running care homes during the Covid pandemic, may have been among symptoms he had experienced.

Doddlespool Hall in Betley is among homes having a tea party event on 6 April

Mr Cook said he had been helped by "great medics" at The Christie hospital in Manchester but also supported by Lymphoma Action.

He said following chemotherapy and immunotherapy sessions, he was in remission but would still need regular treatment.

The charity has helped him cope with the mental side of the condition.

"It's about coming to terms with this black cloud that it's always there in my blood and will always be," he said.

He said going through hours of treatment meant "you start thinking" and he came up with the idea of asking for donations for his 'jam man' preserves to raise money for the charity.

Alister Cook shares recipes on Instagram under the Cheshire Jam Man tag

He said some people had given £5 a jar and he quickly surpassed his £500 target on Just Giving. Mr Cook has now raised more than £2,000.

Fundraising has also included a jam-themed "bake-off" between the homes where staff receive prizes for the best cake.

Meanwhile, Mr Cook said with "rhubarb on the way" he was looking at new jam recipes, such as combining strawberry, vanilla, rhubarb and prosecco.