Thornbridge requests online donations after employee passes away
The Derbyshire-based brewery said it was devastated to announce Jenny Walker would not be there to pull the first pint of a beer renamed after her.
Jenny Walker had raised funds for a cancer care hospital after receiving her diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer in June.
Flagship Jaipur IPA will be sold as ‘JenPour’ in several Sheffield pubs today (Friday 9 November 2018), with all sales proceeds donated to the hospital.
An online donations page has now been created after people all across the country wanted to show their support.
Michael, Jenny’s husband, said: “For those of you who don’t know, Jenny died on Wednesday afternoon. She died at home, surrounded by her family.
"There’s no getting round the fact that this is an absolute tragedy. Our three incredible little girls, Nia (seven), Cora (four) and Beth (one) have lost their mummy, and there’s no age at which that isn’t earth-shatteringly awful.
“I said when [their son] Elliott died in 2013 that up until then we had had so much good in our lives, we accepted that we had to take a share of some of the pain in the world. Well now it feels like we have all the pain in the world.”
Think of Jen
He continued: “It's impossible to sum her up, but if you knew her, you would have felt the difference her kindness, generosity and determination could make. She was incredible and I loved her from the moment I met her.
“All she ever wanted to be was a mummy. And she is, and she was, and she always will be.
"The Thornbridge Brewery JenPour event in her honour will take place as planned. If you’re in Sheffield, buy a beer, think of Jen and proceeds will go to Weston Park cancer hospital.”
Weston Park provides treatment and support to cancer patients across South Yorkshire, north Derbyshire and north Nottinghamshire. It needs more than £2m a year to continue its work.
The brewery aims to raise £5,000 for the hospital and has now introduced online tickets for a raffle, which will be drawn on Wednesday 28 November. Prizes include jewellery, football tickets and food and drinks vouchers.
Breweries add their support
Camden Town Brewery and Kicking Horse UK said they would also donate the proceeds from any casks of Jaipur sold today.
Thornbridge Brewery chief executive Simon Webster thanked those who had donated so far.
He said: “At such a devastating time for Jenny’s family, we are truly moved by the actions of our peers in the industry as well as our customers. We have received hundreds of messages of support from people across the country as well as kind donations to help us to raise as much money as possible.
“A big thank you to Camden Town Brewery and Kicking Horse for their action. In 14 years of being a part of the craft beer industry, this is genuinely one of the kindest things we’ve seen.”
The Sheffield pubs selling JenPour today are: the Cricket Inn, the Hallamshire House, the Greystones, the Stags Head, the Coach and Horses, the Cross Scythes and the Bath Hotel.
Donations and raffle entries can be made through the JenPour JustGiving page. Donations can also be made via text by texting POUR59 then the donation amount to 70070, eg: POUR59 £10.
