Written by Anna Khan, Chief Executive, Welcare:
Denise Mumford (first row, right side) sadly passed away in January and I wanted to pay tribute for the vision and warmth she brought to the work of the charity and also her prolific ability as a fundraiser – evolving the charity alongside the changing needs of society.
Denise was responsible for the 1994 Centenary Appeal which galvanised groups of supporters to purchase properties from which we could deliver our work with children and families. One of these centres was our centre in Redhill town centre – for more information about the history of the Redhill Centre, please follow this link and scroll down to ‘The Gloria Price Memorial Plaque at 24 Warwick Rd’.
I was fortunate to meet Denise when I first started working for Welcare and I was immediately struck by her social activism and pioneering spirit, but also her bravery and conviction. I learnt after her death that she had once had a knife held to her by a man whose two murdered babies were in a room next door.
Denise would not be deterred from doing what was right, and she gained huge satisfaction from her work. After she retired in 1997 she took an active interest in asylum seekers. We enjoy the legacy of her work to this day, Denise was amongst a continuing line of inspiring women who left our world a better place.
