WA Truelove & Son Ltd was very proud to support one of our colleagues who recently abseiled down the parish church in Leatherhead in order to raise money for charity.
St. Mary and St. Nicholas’s Church is right next to Truelove’s Leatherhead branch. The church itself is the oldest building in Leatherhead, with the local community having worshipped on the site for over 1,000 years, and the church tower is 67 feet (20.5 metres) high. The church’s Making History project is currently raising money in order to remodel parts of the building, and as part of this they decided to organise a charity abseil off of the church’s tower.
On Saturday 30th June, 36 individuals took part in the charity abseil to raise money for the church. The group included someone dressed as Spiderman, local councillors and residents. The youngest participant was just 14, whilst the eldest was an amazing 81 years old. One of the participants was our very own Michelle O’Sullivan. Michelle is Truelove’s Business Development Manager. We will let Michelle explain the story in her own words:
“When I first heard that there was to be a sponsored abseil from St Mary’s and St Nicholas’s Church next door to our Leatherhead Branch, I wondered how we could support this local charity event.
“As a firm, WA Truelove & Son Ltd are committed to supporting the local community in the areas we serve. However, I also wanted to personally support this cause, not just because I act as the Community Relations Manager for the company, but also because my grandson was christened in this church and because the church conducted my own husband’s funeral. Therefore, it means a lot to me.
“The way to support it might seem obvious, but the problem I had is that I am terrified of heights. In fact, I am so frightened that I missed taking my own children to the fair when they were young. So, initially I thought that abseiling was not for me, but the more I thought about it, the more I realised that not only could I raise funds for the church but I could also teach my grandchildren to overcome their fears by overcoming mine.
“Everyone at WA Truelove & Son Ltd got behind me, and on the day many of our staff came out to support me including one of our Directors, David Truelove. I’m delighted to say WA Truelove & Son Ltd were able to raise £313 and support this cause. As for my fear of heights, well I’m certainly not cured but I think I might manage to take my grandchildren to the fair this year!”
Not only did the fundraisers have to battle any fear of heights, but they also had to battle with the hot weather, with temperatures at around 27 degrees Celsius, making their achievement even more fantastic.
We are all very proud of Michelle for taking part, for overcoming her fear of heights, and as a firm we are very pleased to have helped raise money for the church. As Michelle’s testimony explains, the church has been the location for two major events in her life, and so it means a lot to her. The church also means a lot to many of the other participants, including the oldest member of the group on the day, 81-year-old Leatherhead artist Jill Goodchild. Explaining to the local paper why she did the abseil, Jill said:
“My daughter was married in the parish church in 1986 and I married my second husband there in 1990. Two very moving funerals of my late mother and first husband were also held in this church.
“As to the abseil, I was reliving my childhood when we had to practice fire drills with a Davy fire escape – ‘make sure you push off the wall and don’t put your foot through the window’. It was the highlight of the term for me.”
Like Leatherhead’s church, Truelove’s are proud to have provided a crucial role at the heart of our local community for many years. We opened our first branch in Sutton in 1885 and our Leatherhead branch has been opened since May 2012. For more information about WA Truelove & Son Ltd and all our funeral services, call us on
