It has been a tradition for the mayor to have a charity during the year of office. When I became the directly elected mayor of Lewisham in 2002 I decided to work with a small charity that has a particular Lewisham connection for as long as I was in office. 

The charity was set up by Beth Wagstaffe, a former Lewisham councillor, and Justine Picardie.  Beth had become close friends with Justine’s sister Ruth when they were both diagnosed with breast cancer at just 32.  Ruth wrote some remarkable columns for the Observer which were published up to her death in 1997. Their contact and friendship was brief, but the support they were able to give each other was invaluable. Ruth and Beth realised just how important this shared experience could be to other women of their age with breast cancer.

The Lavender Trust was launched in May 1998, on what would have been Ruth's 34th birthday. It was named in Ruth's memory, as she loved the scent of lavender and was surrounded by it in the gardens of Trinity Hospice, where she died. Beth worked closely with the charity until her own death in 1999 and saw the beginnings of the services funded by the Lavender Trust today. 

The Lavender Trust continues to help fund support and information for thousands of younger women affected by breast cancer each year. We have worked closely with the Trust over the years and my wife, Kris, who was also a friend of Beth, leads a small fund raising committee at the Town Hall.   We hold many different types of local events each year and council staff have been incredibly generous in their support too. If you want to know more about the trust and the services its provides their web site can be found at http://www.lavendertrust.org.uk If you would like to be informed about fund raising events drop me a line steve.bullock@lewisham.gov.uk and we’ll add you to the email list.

Steve, December 2008