Joan was well liked within the business and had become good friends with everyone at Workshop Recruitment during the time she worked with us. Joan was a keen baker – a passion which she shared with our senior healthcare consultant, Sam Wheeler. In fact she had promised to make the wedding cake for Sam and his Fiancée Laura Wood, who also works for Workshop Recruitment.

Taken from an article by Portsmouth News:

Sam, 34, said: “Joan was a very positive and focused lady, and her generous and bubbly personality meant she got on extremely well with everyone. Even when she became ill, she was determined to live life as normally as she could, despite undergoing radiotherapy treatment. She never gave up and was working until the week before she died.”

“Joan made great cakes and had offered to make our wedding cake for us which we were really excited about. However, this excitement turned to unbearable sadness when Joan realised she wasn’t going to be around for our wedding. I’ll never forget the day she told me and because she knew how much I also enjoy cooking she insisted on giving me various ingredients and items from her store cupboard before she died. She was incredibly brave right to the end, and a very special person.”

“Joan’s bravery, fight and never give up attitude has inspired me to enter the London Marathon in her memory to support Brain Tumour Research. I want to do all I can to raise awareness and urge people to donate to this great cause. One of our directors, Peter Hunt, also lost his mother to a brain tumour four years ago, so this a cause which is very dear to all our hearts. Very little is known about the causes of brain tumours so it’s vital that we raise as much money as possible to fund further research and hopefully bring an end to this awful disease.”

The full article can be found here

Sam has already raised more than £600 and is hoping to reach a target of £3,500 for the pioneering charity Brain Tumour Research which funds a network of Centres of Excellence where scientists are focused on improving outcomes for patients and, ultimately, finding a cure. To find out more about Brain Tumour Research please click here. Sam is raising money via his Virgin Moneygiving page. You can find his page here.