A widow raised £1,600 for charity after holding a rock and roll charity evening in memory of her late husband – on the day after what would have been his 50th birthday.
Karen Stanley, 42, organised the night in aid of Crohn’s and Colitis UK Oxfordshire on August 16 and after finalising the total donation, handed the cheque over on Wednesday.
Karen, of Youens Drive, Thame, said: “Richard suffered from Crohn’s for more than 21 years, so I wanted to raise some money for the charity because I know what he went through.”
Richard, who was well-liked in his home town, also suffered with rare condition amyloidosis caused by deposits of abnormal protein – called amyloid – in tissues and organs.
It was this which caused him to pass away at the age of 42 in 2006, leaving Karen and their daughter Casey – now 15 – and three older daughters from a previous marriage.
The lively charity evening involved a raffle and was held at Thame Snooker Club – the same place where welder Richard proposed to Karen and they had their wedding reception six years ago.
Karen said: “He loved his rock and roll music, and he was a big Elvis fan too.
“He always liked getting up on stage for a bit of karaoke.
“He was a popular man and he was very well liked in Thame.
“He was a real family man as well and loved to spend time with his children.”
Karen worked hard with the help of Richard’s best friend Rob Patience to gather together top prizes for the charity raffle on the night.
Local businesses rose to the challenge and generously donated several prizes.
Allparts Automotive donated £100, the Spread Eagle Hotel offered tea for two and Nicolette Hatton came up with a massage at the Thame Practice.
Karen said: “The hall was packed, and I would like to thank Rob and everyone who came to the event, as well as all those who donated raffle prizes, because without them we wouldn’t have managed to raise such a great amount.
“C & A Roofing sponsored the DJ, Silent Windows sponsored the hall and Cherry Cordall donated a prize for Generations AD family history research.”
Crohn’s and Colitis UK Oxfordshire supports people with inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn’s – which affects around 60,000 people in the UK.
Visit www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk for more.