£1,700 raised for hospice which cared for Helen

ABOUT £1,700 has been raised by friends and family members who held a party in memory of a popular Teesdale woman who died after suffering a diabetic attack.
Helen Holmes, a type 1 diabetic from Barnard Castle, had a massive hypoglycaemic attack two years ago, leaving her with a permanent brain injury.
She died on August 20, at
St Cuthbert’s Hospice in Durham, aged 31.
Helen, a former Teesdale School student, is fondly remembered for her warm and bubbly personality. 
A Drink for Diabetes event was held in Barnard Castle on Saturday, October 22, to give people an opportunity to celebrate her life and raise money for St Cuthbert’s Hospice.
Those attending chose to dress in “onesies” in a fitting tribute to Helen’s love of wearing them.
Helen’s brother, Matthew, said the amount raised was a “fantastic effort.” Of the £1,700 raised, £250 was donated by The Clique.
He added: “Thank you to everyone for helping us raise such a large amount to help a very important cause. Helen would have been chuffed to bits with the turnout and the amount raised.”
The idea was for people to “buy Helen a drink” and put the value of it into one of the collection boxes.
As well as people donating in buckets, those who
couldn’t make it gave money via an online page.
The rugby club was the venue and Michael McNally provided live music.
It comes after friends, family and colleagues of Helen rallied to raise £19,625 for a number of charities and good causes in her honour in 2015.