Silence is golden for fundraiser (From The Oxford Times)

Silence is golden for fundraiser

7:00am Friday 4th May 2012 in News

WHEN Evie Simmons stayed silent every day for a week it spoke volumes about her feelings for her beloved Grandma Carol.

Evie 11, and her school friends raised £200 in memory of Carol Steward, a former Bicester town and district councillor, and school governor, who died last July, aged 63.

Mrs Steward was diagnosed with leukaemia in 2004 and given weeks to live.

But she defied doctors and went on to have a successful bone marrow transplant – even using her illness to recruit more bone marrow donors.

Sadly last year the disease returned, and former Bicester Community College governor Mrs Steward died at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital, surrounded by her loved ones.

After her death, Evie decided she wanted to help the hospital, so she organised a sponsored silence every afternoon for 30 minutes during tutor time for a week with her class mates and her teacher Al Rendle.

Evie said: “I really wanted to do something to make Grandma Carol proud.”