Tribute Ball in memory of mum of two raises over £12,000 for charities

A charity ball in memory of a mum of two from Cefn-y-Bedd has raised over £12,000 for two charities.

The event, held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel in Wrexham, was organised by the family and friends of Debbie Jones who passed away, aged 49 at Nightingale House Hospice in June 2016 following a battle with cancer.

More than 130 people gathered to remember Debbie and to help raise vital funds for the two organisations which cared for her – Nightingale House Hospice and Macmillan Cancer Support.

A total of £12,124 was raised from the event which was divided between the two charities, including money raised from a raffle and auction on the evening and additional donations.

Debbie’s husband Paul organised the event with school pals following an idea that came to fruition at a school reunion earlier this year.

He said: “I’d wanted to repay both Nightingale House and Macmillan for the help and support they had given me and my wife Deb during our darkest times.

“It’s only when you pass through the whole process that you realise what is going on in people’s lives that requires such specialist and compassionate care and it’s being provided 24 hours a day free of charge to those who have the misfortune to need it. 

“With that in mind, my first act of repayment for all Deb’s fantastic care was to try to raise much needed funds. It was at a school reunion in April that myself and friends Kathryn, Gwen and Teresa discussed thoughts and came up with the idea of a Charity Night to do just that.

“We’ve all been friends together with Deb since our school days, and we wanted to work together to raise funds in her memory. We have been bowled over by the support and time that family, friends, and work colleagues have given to our event, and we can’t thank everyone enough.” 

Nightingale House Fundraiser Debbie Barton said: “We are so grateful to Paul, Kathryn, Gwen, Teresa and everyone who has supported them to raise such a wonderful amount from this event in memory of Debbie.

“They all worked so hard and we really appreciate all their efforts. It was a fantastic and poignant evening and enjoyed by all those there. This money will go a long way to help us in our work caring for patients and their families who need the support of Nightingale House.”

Jane Evans, Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialist at Wrexham Maelor Hospital said: “Paul, his friends, family, work colleagues and all those who attended or contributed to the Charity Night, have raised a tremendous amount of money in memory of Debbie.

“We are extremely grateful for their overwhelming efforts and very kind donation, which will be used to support local people affected by cancer”.