London ceremony caps amazing year with more than £50,000 raised in memory of Hinderwell woman June Mead
A year in which a staggering £51,364.43 has been raised for Target Ovarian Cancer, in memory of Hinderwell woman June Mead, culminated in a trip to London for her sister Janet Gibson.
Janet and her small but dedicated committee of volunteers have raised the impressive total in just 12 months thanks to a coffee morning and fundraiser at Hinderwell Village Hall, which raised £25,123.43p, while a 10-mile sponsored walk from Staithes to Sandsend in September – on what would have been June’s birthday - added another £26,241, with more to come in.
Other money-spinners included a charity night at Chapel on the Hill in Whitby while the Hart Inn at Sandsend boosted the coffers with a Target Ovarian Cancer quiz night, along with sales from local crafting.
Janet was invited to a special Target Ovarian Cancer event at the Tower of London along with other fundraisers, where she enjoyed a candlelit carol service and met others from the charity.
While in London, Janet spent time with her niece, England Lionesses footballer Beth Mead, and watched her score for her club side Arsenal as they beat Aston Villa 4-0 in the Women’s Super League.
Janet said of her week: “It’s been fabulous.
"It was a thank you for all the charity work we had done.
"It was lovely and an honour to be asked.
"I didn’t know anyone but they seemed to know me.”
June – Beth’s mum – sadly lost her battle with ovarian cancer in January 2023.
Fundraising is likely to resume in the new year after a well-earned break, with a mini festival among the future money-spinning ideas.
Janet praised the other fundraising committee members and said: “I couldn’t do it without them.”
Around 50 fundraisers and supporters recently met up at Sandside Cafe in Sandsend with a huge cheque for the total raised so far, which will go to Target Ovarian Cancer, a charity which aims to offer support, improve early diagnosis and fund life-saving ovarian cancer research.
Janet said of the sponsored walk: “It was just a magical day, really enjoyable.”
The walk ended at the Hart Inn where butcher Andrew Radford put on a barbecue – and donated all the money back to the fund.
Janet’s niece Beth Mead, 29, was the player of the tournament and top scorer at England’s victorious Euro 2022 tournament.