A lucky charity supporter is celebrating after winning a classic Mini in a raffle which raised more than £15,000 for St Richard’s Hospice.
Sheila Parsons, aged 68, entered the raffle in the Far Forest and was announced as winner at the Malvern Mini Show in October.
The bright-red car was donated to St Richard’s by Mercia Minis – a family run classic Mini club based in Worcestershire – as a raffle prize after two club members’ partners were cared for at the hospice.
Mrs Parsons has given the classic Mini to her daughter and has already enjoyed trips out in the car.
She said: “We saw the car at the show and thought how beautiful it was and how we would like to win her, thinking we would never be so lucky.
“I am so pleased to have won – although, as I don’t drive my daughter is being a willing chauffeur!”
The car, which has a 1985 Mayfair body, originally belonged to Mini club member Andy Stephens, from Worcester.
The Community Nursing team at St Richard’s supported Mr Stephens’ wife, Barbara, who lived with bowel cancer before she died in June 2016, aged 69.
“The St Richard’s Community Nursing team were an absolute lifeline to both me and my wife,” said Mr Stephens, who is aged 64. “If we needed anything at all, they were there for us.
“As a way of saying thank you, I approached our club and on the back of that decided to donate one of my own Minis to the hospice.”
Julie Ash, who is also a Mini club member, experienced St Richard’s care after her husband, Stephen, was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April 2011.
Mr Ash was cared for by the hospice’s Community Nursing team at his home in Malvern and died in August 2016 aged 69.
The £15,620.46 raised by the Mini raffle will support St Richard’s in providing its specialist care to patients living with life-limiting illnesses, their families and bereaved people across Worcestershire.
Charlie Homer, hospice Fundraiser, said: “We are absolutely thrilled for Sheila and we hope she enjoys many trips out in the new car with her daughter.
“The raffle raised a fantastic amount to support St Richard’s and we are grateful to Mercia Minis for its generosity and support – and to everyone who bought raffle tickets.”
St Richard’s Hospice provides free specialist palliative and end of life care for patients living with life-limiting illnesses and supports their loved ones. Each year the hospice team supports more than 3,000 patients, family members and bereaved people in Worcestershire.
The hospice strives to provide the best medical, practical, emotional and social support they can to help people live life to the fullest, as independently as they can, for as long as they can.
They care for people with a range of illnesses including heart failure, Parkinson’s, and motor neurone disease as well as cancer. St Richard’s is an independent charity and is grateful for all donations to help it continue its work.