Lorraine Weightman has been fundraising for Willow Burn since 2007 in memory of her husband Stewart and since then she has continued on her journey to make a difference in Derwentside. Here is her fundraising story.
"I first began raising money for Willow Burn Hospice in 2007 by helping to organise a Cricket Day at Leadgate Cricket Club, instigated by Derwentside Round Table, in memory of my husband Stewart Weightman - one of their members - who died of cancer in 2006. They provided a trophy for the winners and the day became known as ‘The Stewart Weightman Cup’.
Round Table organised the match and I, along with other members of Consett Rotary provided afternoon tea and ran a Tombola to raise funds. The following year it was hosted by Shotley Bridge Cricket Club and became an annual event held on August Bank Holiday Sunday in conjunction with the Beer Festival. My family and friends became involved along with Stanley Rotary and with the bigger venue we were able to provide more stalls to help raise funds. Everyone was very generous and supportive and it ran until a few years ago.
Willow Burn has always been close to my heart, as along with my husband, I have lost many friends who have received comfort, understanding and exceptional care from this charity in their time of need. My son and one of my daughters have also fundraised, took part in The Great North Run in 2016 to raise funds for this worthy charity.
During Lockdown in 2020, when we all advised to stay at home, I amused myself by writing poems about the daily and weekly happenings around us, and was persuaded by Consett Rotary members to publish a book of poems to raise money for charity. Although Willow Burn was my first choice, we opted to support two needy other local charities with the proceeds.
The books were published in 2021 and were supported and sold by local businesses and organisations in Consett, and they could also be purchased online.
Consett Rotary held a Lockdown Lines Celebration evening in St Patrick’s Hall Consett on May 7th 2022 to present £1,000 each to the three charities, and are still raising funds by selling more of the books which are still out there!
I hope I will be able to offer more support in the future by organising further fundraising events."
A huge thank you to Lorraine, her family and Consett Rotary for all of their support over the years, it means the world to everyone at Willow Burn and ensures we are able to provide services now and in the future.
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