Positivity from the tragedy of Rosie May
CHARITY RESTORES FAITH IN HUMAN NATURE AFTER LOSS OF DAUGHTER
THE mother of Rosie May Storrie – a 10-year-old Nottinghamshire schoolgirl murdered at a party – says her daughter would have been proud of all the charitable work her family is doing in her honour.
Rosie May died after she was attacked at a Christmas party in 2003.
In January 2004, the family then set up the Rosie May Memorial Fund, now known as the Rosie May Foundation, based is in Bingham and helps people in need around the world.
The foundation has helped people following the devastating 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, built an orphanage which is now full in Sri Lanka and has trained women drivers for female-only taxis in Sri Lanka, among other charitable efforts.
There is hope that the taxi scheme could be brought to Nottingham, to help women feel safer when they travel and to bring more women into a maledominated industry.
Mary Storrie, Rosie May’s mum and one of the founders of the charity, explained why the family wanted to start the foundation in the first place.
She said: “We felt like Rosie May had kept us safe and was looking over us, so we felt we should do the same.
“There’s a lot of stigma to children dying – it’s not something people want to talk about – so the foundation gives us the opportunity to do that, and has really helped to give our grieving purpose.”
When the Rosie May Foundation was set up, people donated to help the family, but the family then quickly wanted to use the cash to help others less fortunate than themselves.
She said: “It has given us a positive focus and enabled us to be distracted from the dark side of what’s happened, it’s helped us to restore our faith in human nature and know that there are good people out there, and people that really do care.
“Out of something so tragic and traumatic, something positive has come out of it. I think Rosie May would be really proud.”