Friends host fundraising evening in support of widow
FRIENDS of a woman whose husband died in a tragic accident have raised more than £6,000 to support her.
Jason North, 42, died after getting into difficulty in the sea while on holiday in South Wales.
He was married to Rachel, from Macclesfield who is also the sister of Robert Hart, who died tragically last year after being attacked at festival last year.
Friends have rallied around to support mum-of-two Rachel at this difficult time.
Liz Jennings and Clare Kewney, of Macclesfield, first set out in July to raise £800, and are hoping their next cocktail evening and auction will add more money to the fundraising pot.
Liz said: “We wanted to do something proactive and positive for Rachel to show her how loved she is and how much support she and the family have around them. By setting up the crowd-funding we could at least take any financial worries away from her during this time so she can focus on her own wellbeing and her children.”
The cocktail evening ‘Tenors Under The Hammer’ includes live band entertainment from Big Jam and Dougie Francis and dinner.
An auction hosted by Macclesfield auctioneer Adam Partridge will include prizes donated from a number of Macclesfield businesses, as well as a pair of meet-and-greet tickets to a performance by Russell Watson.
Liz added: “I was just amazed that after hearing about the appeal, Russell Watson offered to help us by donating such a great prize. We’ve focused the evening around Russell’s generous donation and are sure the event will be a great night of entertainment.”
Other prizes include a signed CD from tenor Karl Loxley, rugby tickets, a luxury hamper from Arighi Bianchi, a will writing session from Thorneycroft Solicitors and a portrait session at Ollier Photography.
The event, which takes place on Friday, September 18, follows a number of fundraising activities for RachelsFriends.
Liz’s work colleagues at HealthCare2 in Tytherington hosted a cake sale and raffle, and a silent auction raised more than £1,300.
A National Citizenship group (NCS Team Squad) ran a cake sale, a sponsored bounce and bean bath, and raised £800 to be shared with the homeless charity Shelter.
A spokesperson for the Team, Atchuthan Gopalan, said: “They wanted to support Rachel because they wanted to make a difference locally and were so moved by her story that they wanted to make a direct impact on her quality of life and get the community to engage to strengthen Macclesfield community spirit.”
Rachel North, said: “Thank you for caring about me, my wonderful husband and our amazing beautiful children.”
All profits from the Auction Evening will be split between the bereavement fund and Wales Air Ambulance.
For tickets email RachelsFriends Macclesfield@gmail.com or call Karen Swindells on 07973 715936 or go to the Friends of Rachel North Facebook page.