I am a very, very fortunate man indeed.

Andrew presented me with a card this evening. The card contained a list of names and a cheque, and an instruction to “go out there and buy a new camera”.

Circumstances had dictated that I be told that my friends were having a whipround “behind my back” as it were, but never, in my wildest dreams did I think that so many people would chip in, or that you’d all raise such a staggering amount. You’ve raised more than enough to buy me a new camera and to say that I am both touched and grateful is an understatement of some magnitude, but if I attempted to convey the depth of my gratitutde here, we’d all be horribly embarrassed.

So, the plan is this: In the next few days, I am going to go out and buy a new camera, and very importantly, some iron-clad insurance. If anyone so much as looks at the camera funny, I’m going to be claiming dammit!

And because a number people responded to my own plea for aid (which was taken down when I was told so as not to cause embarassment, but not before a number people responded to it), come payday, I am going to match what they donated via paypal and by purchasing prints, and donate the resulting amount (around the 250 pound mark – more details when I can get the money out of paypal and photobox, minus their processing fees) to cancer reseach.

I’ll say again: I am hugely touched, and unbelievably grateful to all of you who’ve helped me out.

tyrell, miss_soap, budgie_uk, daveman23, burge, davebushe, opheliasclone, norabombay, querlvox, alexdecampi, Jacob Drabik, tintintin, sushidog, dr_dastardly, halloqueen, warren_ellis, lostchaos, lilitufire, rockoctopus, kateshort, aardy1, grh, moomintroll, Colin Henein, divalea, Amelia Hirst, antonyjohnston, llamaramauk, arcana_j, swisstone, alkennedy, rsking, ewa, marysiak, Tamar Levitt, Lynne McCullough, mmcpoland, brucha, jackie_brown, fire_sermon, stu_n, alfirin_kirinki, redscharlach, zoo_music_girl, jhaelan, izzytart, mrtreacle, famousamy, wmute, Greg Rucka, Jen van Meter, adrasteah, chrisisiddall, mr_tom, cathuk, taikonaut, childeric, yaruar, indiana_j, Nanda Weiland, anw, Ray Whitney, elfy85, Dionne Williford, recognitions

There are a few people on the list in the card Andrew gave me who I don’t know, or possibly don’t know as anything other than LJ name, so draw a blank when confronted with their real name. Please, feel free to fill in the not-blanks, as it were…

One last time: thank you all, especially to anw and miss_soap for organising such an astonishing gesture.