Surrey Section Christmas Lunch Charity Appeal

Following our AGM every year we have our annual Charity Christmas Lunch at Kingswood Country Golf Club.  This year RREC Surrey Section had 135 people attend the lunch made up of club and section members, family and friends.  One of our section members, Eddy Humphreys, who also happens to be the Mayor of Reigate & Banstead Surrey, nominated The Lucy Rayner Foundation as one of his mayoral charity appeals. This foundation was started by Jenny Rayner after her 22-year-old professional daughter committed suicide.  The Rayner family found themselves in total shock after the death of their daughter.  During the inquest it was found that Lucy had approached her family practitioner for help with her mental health but was found not a high risk as she did not express suicidal thoughts and and did not 'fit' the depressed spectrum.  As her mother explained, her daughter was very pretty and always appeared immaculate and a well groomed professional lady.  Sadly, this was not the case and due to feeling worthless and in despair committed suicide in a near by park to the family home. The family, shocked by what happened, also found very little bereavement support was offered in their case.  Jenny Rayner, a specialist handicap trained nurse, started the foundation to provide teenagers and young adults access to counselling and for affected families a bereavement counselling support service.  In their local area they have over 100 teenagers currently receiving support.  Jenny gave the attendees a very moving, powerful and emotional speech. 

Through out the year Trevor Longley, RREC Surrey Section Event coordinator, has been raising money at his business and at some of our events for the Rayner Foundation, so we had already had over £3,000.00 collected for this even,t but at the lunch we held an auction and a very popular raffle raising even more money.  Jenny mentioned in her speech that £200.00  alone would provide for a young person six counselling sessions with a professional counsellor.  We had several of our members personally begin to donate this amount and by the end of the night we had raised at total of £9, 225.00 for the Lucy Rayner foundation.  We had several more donations after the Sunday lunch and the total so far raised is now £10.960.59. 

RREC Surrey is exceptionally grateful for the generosity of our section members and their families and friends that have contributed to amazing foundation.  

 

Art Ramirez, Chairman

RREC Surrey Section

L: Section President, Mike Thackery, with Mrs Jenny Rayner, founder of the Lucy Rayner Foundation and Art Ramirez, Section Chairman. , presenting the cheque to the Foundation.

R: Eddy Humphreys, Mayor of Reigate & Banstead, Surrey, and Jenny Rayner