Gloria honours Bexhill pair at emotional awards event
Bexhill’s Lauren and Linda Gander were winners at a prestigious London awards ceremony hosted by Gloria Hunniford.
Some 160 guests were invited to the event at the Mayfair Hotel with afternoon tea, and the awards were presented by actress Michelle Collins, the Eastenders and Coronation Street star.
Lauren and Linda, who live in Whychurst Gardens, were stunned to win the title of Inspirational Mother and Daughter, and Lauren said: “Mum cried all the way through and I had to do most of the talking. It was an emotional day.”
All proceeds from the awards went to the Caron Keating Foundation in memory of Gloria Hunniford’s daughter who tragically died of breast cancer in 2004 aged just 41. Lauren added: “We both received a kiss and a hug from Gloria and Michelle, and it was a truly moving day. We were totally amazed we won.”
There are six categories in the Inspirational Mother awards which recognised mothers, grandmothers, mothers and daughters, mothers and sons, three generations as well as a celebrity mother.
Gloria commented: “It’s a fantastic opportunity for recognition. Most of us never get the chance to put our thanks in writing and make it public. The maternal connection is so strong, perhaps the strongest you have in family life. You encounter so many problems throughout life that it’s important within families to say thank you for that support.”
Lauren, though just 13, is well-known for her tireless fundraising which has seen her achieve an astonishing £286,000. This was inspired by her early diagnosis as a baby with spina bifida. Her parents were warned she might never walk but Lauren went on to defy the odds and became an enthusiastic dancer and performer as a child, appearing on stage in pantomime and musicals. Lauren started fundraising for SASBAH, the local charity which supports those with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, but also for Tree Of Hope, Children’s Trust, and Whizz-kids. She took part in a sponsored glide near Lewes at the age of eight, and has zipwired 200ft from a bridge in Cardiff, slept rough on the street in Brighton, and most recently did a sky dive in Milton Keynes. However the family has decided Lauren should “take a step back” from constant charity activity as she is soon to start two years of GCSE work at Bexhill High.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bexhill-on-Sea
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 6 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: North
