MATTHI CLARKE
Director, Presenter & Founder
Matthew Clarke trained as a broadcast journalist at Falmouth and has produced news on south west radio stations such as Pirate FM, Atlantic FM and Radio Plymouth. More recently he ran his own video production business until his diagnosis with Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He has now decided to put his skills and life experience to the betterment of his local community.
TONI EYRIEY
Director
Toni Eyriey is a familiar face on the Cornwall networking scene, juggling a busy household with managing the sales and commercial aspects as founder/publisher of Business Cornwall magazine. Toni spent many years as an advertising sales manager for local newspapers and national trade publications. Recently, she supported Winning Against Cancer’s founder, Matthew, during his long spell getting through cancer.
JEANNETTE PRESTON
Director
Jeannette Preston is a womb-cancer survivor who decided to turn her experience into a charity to help anyone diagnosed with gynaecological and testicular cancers. She based her organisation ‘PantsCancers’ in Falmouth and Penryn. It raises money in Cornwall for free cancer rehabilitation programs by selling pre-loved items through its charity shops. She is now also a director of Winning Against Cancer CIC which runs this podcast project.
EMMA COOMBE
Co-Presenter
At the same time as I being diagnosed with melanoma I was leaving my CFO (Chief finance officer) role without a backwards glance. I knew I may have a little turbulence ahead of me, little did I know it would get a lot worse, and there were other more important things in my life to concentrate on. In March 2024 I asked my GP to look at an itchy area on my scalp and that was the first of many sharp intakes of breath I heard before hearing the official diagnosis of stage 2b melanoma and having the associated surgeries. Less than a year later I was having another surgery to remove an enlarged lymph node in my neck (and all the others with it) and my diagnosis was bumped up to stage 3. I’ve been receiving immunotherapy once every 6 weeks for the last 8 months, and with 2 more sessions to go I’m hopeful. This has, of course, impacted on my scuba diving and sax playing hobbies, but I’m getting back to both, as well as now skippering a boat for friends. I’ve been able to spend more time with my parents and friends and I’ve met new friends thanks to The Cove and their many opportunities for those of us dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
