Lady who lunches raises more than £33,000 for Brain Tumour Support - The Stratford Observer

Lady who lunches raises more than £33,000 for Brain Tumour Support

Stratford Editorial 21st May, 2020   0

A LADY who lunches has raised more than £33,000 in just three years for a charity close to her heart.

Jo Wheelwright-Horne set up the Stratford Sunday Lunch Club for friends to meet on a regular basis while also fund-raising for Brain Tumour Support – a charity which supports brain tumour patients in Warwickshire and across the UK.

Jo, who lost her mum to a brain tumour in 2013, started the club in 2017 with 17 members. Today it has more than 500 members who meet up monthly basis in venues around Stratford, as well as holding a summer ball and a Christmas party.

Jo said: “I chose to raise funds for Brain Tumour Support because the charity offers the kind of support that I




wish we had received at the time of my mother’s diagnosis.

“We did not know where to turn when mum was diagnosed. It was a terrible time – mum passed away only five months after


diagnosis. So fast and cruel. We did not get a great deal of support back then. I wish I had known about the services of Brain Tumour Support – it is such an amazing charity that helps so many people.

“Through my fund-raising I have met so many lovely people and made so many great friends, many of whom have also lost loved ones.”

Jo has her own Champion Fund for Brain Tumour Support, giving special recognition to her fund-raising, and her achievements were also recognised by the town of Stratford in 2018 when Jo won a Pride of Stratford Award.

Jo added: “I’d like to thank all the local restaurants and hotels around Stratford who have been very supportive and everyone who has helped organise the meetings, especially Ully Dale who is a star. I’d also like to thank local estate agent Taylor Raif Estates who have been generous club sponsors.”

The funds raised by the Stratford Sunday Lunch Club are vital to Brain Tumour Support, which runs monthly support groups across the UK, including in Stratford and Coventry.

The charity also offers one-to-one counselling, telephone support and on-line support to patients and families affected by any type of brain tumour. Its services are free and funded entirely by donations.

Brain Tumour Support was set up 16 years ago by Tina Mitchell Skinner, who lost her husband to a brain tumour.

Tina said: “What Jo and her friends at the Stratford Sunday Lunch Club have achieved is remarkable.

“We are so very grateful. Not only have they raised funds for us and another charity, they bring people together to spread joy. We know how important this can be – our motto is ‘Together we are stronger’ and with fund-raising champions like Jo, we will be able to bring more people and families together to make sure they are not alone when faced with a brain tumour diagnosis.”

See the club’s Facebook group for more details.

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