Nifty needle work made Elsie a charity champion

Whenever I think of my Aunt elsie now, it is at her trusty sewing machine, a study in concentration as she made clothes, aprons, curtains and bags — or anything else that might sell. It was never for her own gain. My aunt sold every last item to raise funds for Mencap, the charity for those with a learning disability. This was her life’s work and she raised tens of thousands of pounds. elsie had very personal reasons for being involved with Mencap. Aged just 21, as war was raging throughout europe, she’d given birth to my cousin Jean, the first of her three children with my Uncle Cecil. Jean had Down’s syndrome, a condition of which there was little understanding, and still less support — and certainly not on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent where elsie had grown up as a farmer’s daughter. never one for complaining, she set about changing things and together with the local rotary Club, raised funds to provide a home and respite facility called The Mount. It’s still there to this day. elsie refused to ever feel sorry for herself or her lot: not even when she was widowed in her 40s, or when Jean died aged 34 in 1975. Instead, she redoubled her efforts, her sewing machine busier than ever, making goods to sell at fetes, car boot sales and even, on occasion, outside her front door. The front living room was often full to bursting with racks of clothing for sale. That wasn’t all; she worked as a teaching assistant, but in her spare time provided respite care in her home for disabled adults, something she continued to do well into her 80s. even when her declining health meant she had to stop, she continued raising funds and was still attending car boot sales until two years before she died. elsie wasn’t in the best of health towards the end, but my lovely, warm-hearted aunt remained cheerful. It was no surprise that instead of flowers at her funeral she asked for donations to her beloved Mencap instead. Aunt elsie, you were an inspiration.

Elsie Regus, born February 2, 1920, died June 28, 2016, aged 96.