Care home team honours colleague’s daughter and raises over £2,800 to support local epilepsy charity

The team at a Quorn care home has raised funds for charity in memory of a much-loved colleague’s daughter. 

Team members at Care UK’s Lonsdale Mews, on Farley Way, held a fundraising event and raised over £1,800 for SUDEP Action, an organisation dedicated to raising awareness of epilepsy risks and tackling epilepsy deaths, including Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy.

The total donation was then brought up to £2,800 thanks to Care UK’s match funding scheme, designed to support charity initiatives across all care homes. 

The team at Lonsdale Mews organised the fundraising event specially to raise funds for the cause close to their heart – the charity which had supported colleague Julie Walker, after her daughter, Emily-Mae, unexpectedly passed away in November 2022.

The afternoon included home-made cakes, and guests were invited to try their luck in the raffle to win luxury hampers. Family, friends and residents also had the opportunity to tap their feet to live music from local entertainer Sam Hutchinson, who performed a special playlist of requests and hits for everyone to enjoy. 

As a tribute to Julie’s daughter, whose favourite place to visit was Snowdonia, residents and team members got on an exercise bike and a seated peddler to raise money and reach the target distance of nine miles – in the end, managing to complete the equivalent of five and a half trips up and down the mountain in total.

Melissa Creed, a member of the lifestyle team at Lonsdale Mews, and resident Keith also got stuck in for the good cause, volunteering to be ‘pied’ while being cheered on by residents, family and the team.

Toby Sturgess, Home Manager at Lonsdale Mews, said: "I am immensely proud of the team for coming together in memory of Julie’s daughter – it means so much to us all to be able to support the charity with a donation in Emily-Mae’s memory.  

“SUDEP Action is a wonderful charity that provides invaluable support to local families during difficult times. We’re thrilled to have brought the community together for this special event – it was a tremendous success and we hope the funds we raised will enable them to continue to help many people in Quorn and beyond. 

“We want to thank all who came and supported us – we know it meant the world to Julie.”

Lonsdale Mews offers full-time residential and dementia care, as well as short-term respite. The home incorporates space for hobby and leisure activities and includes its own cinema, hairdressing salon and café. The layout of the building is configured into a series of individual suites, each having a dedicated lounge/dining room to help facilitate the creation of close-knit communities.

To find out more about Lonsdale Mews, please call Customer Relations Manager, Jenny Cartwright, on 01509 801 587, email jenny.cartwright@careuk.com or visit careuk.com/lonsdale-mews