Jessica and husband Jerome from Kinver, along with their children and wider family have taken on a series of adventurous fundraisers to raise funds for Newland Hurst, a residential home in Droitwich Spa, following the loss of Jessica’s sister, Annette.
Annette, sadly passed away unexpectedly in May, at just 50 years of age. Annette had learning disabilities and was primarily non-verbal. Annette spent the last four years of her life at Newland Hurst Care Home that supports adults with varying learning disabilities. The facility provides care, community access and encourages various in-house activities including cooking, arts & crafts and music sessions.
The family is trying to raise a grand total £7,000 to help develop a drama department for the residents at Newland Hurst which will include a refit of the building and enable them to purchase costumes and props for productions. So far, they have raised £5,649 and just need a further £1,351 to meet their target.
The new drama department will allow the residents to express their creativity and develop their expressive skills which will help their communication skills, a cause close to Jess’ heart, as she herself is a speech and language therapist.
Jess commented: “My sister, Annette was primarily non-verbal, however she was known for her ability to get others to engage with her. She was such a fun person, very affectionate and had a wicked sense of humour. She enriched the lives of everyone she met, and she is the reason I followed my career path as a Speech & Language Therapist.
“We are a close family and we all wanted to create a legacy in Annette’s name and give back to the home that has done so much for her. The staff at Newland Hurst Care Home were instrumental in helping Annette transition from living with our mother and encouraged her to partake in so many activities and provided opportunities where she could interact. She was extremely well looked after, and it was a place where she was happy. We are forever indebted to the team, which is why we want to support them in developing the drama facility.
“We came up with some fundraising activities that we know Annette would like. Both events took place in July and the first event my husband, Jerome and Tommy, my brother-in-law and all our children took on Carrauntoohil which is Ireland’s highest mountain (1039 metres) and is well known for its challenging and potentially unstable nature. The second was a 7km walk, with myself and my sister, Christina, wearing our Pick Me Up Leprechaun costumes, around the lakes of Killarney in County Kerry, Ireland.
“We have raised £5,649 of our £7,000 target and appreciate times are tough right now but if anybody would like to support us, no matter how small, every donation will make a difference.”
Bob Timmins, registered manager at Newland Hurst, commented: “Annette was a lovely lady with a heart of gold and is missed dearly. It is an amazing legacy that Jessica and the family are undertaking.
“Already this year the residents performed a play for the Rik Mayall Comedy Festival and the new facility we are looking to develop will provide them with a safe and fun place to express themselves and showcase their abilities.”
To make a donation visit wonderful.org/fundraisers/RvWrX