‘Fundraising helped my grief’
Irene Hicks has raised more than £75,000 for charity, despite losing three of her four sons, and has turned their tragic deaths into an incredible legacy
‘I decided I had to keep carrying on doing what my boys had been so proud of me for doing which is fundraising – it was the only good thing I could do’
Whether she’s hosting a bingo night or collecting donations of clothes to sell on, Irene Hicks is always on the go, raising money and sharing her big smile with everyone in her local community. Since 2015, Irene (66) has been doing all she can to raise funds for the Llandough Hospital Breast Centre Fund in Glamorgan, Wales, an enterprise she started when her daughter-in-law Suzanne was diagnosed with breast cancer and she was bowled over by the kindness of the staff there.
Since then she’s managed to raise a staggering £75,000 – an incredible achievement made more extraordinary given that she has done all this while dealing with the grief of losing three sons. She lost her youngest son Daniel in 2005 when he was killed in a car accident, aged just 25. Then in August 2016, on her wedding anniversary, she received a call no mother would ever want to receive. “I was told my son Denis had had a seizure and stopped breathing,” she says. “He was an epileptic and often had fits but he’d always come through them before. However, by the time I reached the hospital that day he’d already passed away. “Denis and I were very close. He would ring me every morning and just before bed. It was just heartbreaking to lose him.” Unimaginably, just six months after Irene buried Denis, in February 2017, her other son Kevin was at work when he suffered a stroke and tragically never pulled through. He was just 41. “I felt my whole world had crashed. I never thought I’d get over the loss of my first son Daniel, let alone losing Denis and Kevin, too. I could easily have curled up into a ball and died but that wouldn’t do anything to bring them back. Even giving my life wouldn’t help. So instead I decided I had to keep on doing what my boys had been so proud of me for – fundraising. It was the only good thing I could do. Denis, in particular, used to help me a lot with fundraising and I know he would have wanted me to carry on. Actually, focusing on helping other people has kept me going as I’m always busy every day.” Irene has managed to raise such spectacular sums of money for the Breast Centre Fund by hosting events such as regular bingo nights, as well as setting up a Facebook page called Eyes Down Sales where she sells on second-hand, donated clothes, the money from which goes to the fund. Today, the group has more than 3,000 members and typically raises around £1,000 every month.
“The fundraising benefits the community as bingo gives local people somewhere to go, while the affordable clothes we sell on helps families who don’t have much money. We also make a point of supporting the community whenever they need us and in return they’ve got right behind us in helping with donations.” The friends of her son Daniel – who call her Mum – have also been a huge help with her fundraising mission, chipping in with anything she needs. “They’ve been a great support and it’s always been like Daniel’s memory continues in them.”
As for Llandough Hospital Breast Cancer Fund, thanks to Irene’s money they’re now kickstarting plans to build a special fitness gym to help cancer patients’ recovery. “When I used to go to the hospital for appointments with my daughter-in-law, I was amazed how friendly and caring the staff were. They never rushed us and were there not just for Suzanne, but for her family, too. They were so lovely and now Suzanne is fully recovered, I just wanted to do something to give back.” Recently, Irene’s outstanding contribution was officially recognised when she received a British Citizen Award, a national honour which celebrates exceptional people who make a positive impact on society. She was nominated by her brother, Alan, for her services to volunteering and charitable giving, all in the face of terrible tragedy. “I couldn’t believe I’d got the award,” says Irene. “I cried that night because I felt like my boys would have been so proud of me.”