CELEBRITIES including Jamie Oliver, Gordon Ramsay, Gino D’Acampo, Delia Smith and Mary Berry have thrown their support behind a local chef who is battling cancer.
Tim Bilton, who still works as the head chef at The White Bull at Cannon Hall Farm despite his tough treatment, has received an outpouring of goodwill from his peers.
The 47-year-old was diagnosed with a rare melanoma in his left eye in 2013, shortly before he opened The Spiced Pear in Hepworth, near Holmfirth.
However, in August 2015, Tim found a lump on his face and learned that his cancer had returned.
After having his saliva glands and lymph nodes removed he had a gruelling round of radiotherapy five days a week for seven weeks.
Tim’s cancer returned for a third time in January 2019 after he began experiencing pain in his left knee.
He found that he had melanoma in his knee and kidney and is currently undergoing dual immunotherapy two drugs administered at once to help combat this.
The Biltons visited Ramsay’s renowned London restaurant, Lucky Cat, last month in order to create as many memories as possible after the acclaimed TV chef sent a message alongside his famous counterparts to Tim.
It comes after multi-Michelin star chef, Jean-Christophe Novelli, took to the stage at Cannon Hall Farm to help raise money, generating £12,000 through a cooking demonstration alongside Tim.
Tim said: “I cannot put into words how amazing it all was. There’s that many people that I can’t thank everyone individually enough more than 300 people came to support it.
“Scores of businesses donated raffle prizes and things to auction off.
“It’s been totally overwhelming. The outpouring of love has been amazing. It’s hard to take I am full to the brim with it all.
“I have so many messages to get through but I just need to let everything sink in.
“This is an amazing memory that will stay with me for so long. I don’t know that anything can surpass this.
“I’ve now had five rounds of immunotherapy. It’s been a crazy couple of weeks but, to be honest, my body feels fine.
“It’s reacted quite well this time and I’m quite happy with it.
“I’m back in work, trying to keep as much normality as possible. The thing you realise is the world doesn’t stop.
“You have to go and have treatment, or tests, or injections, or scans but everything else carries on.”
