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Tribute to Reverend Jean Griffiths

 

We were sad to learn of the death of Reverendย Jeanย Griffithsย on 4thย February.ย ย Jean, pictured above, was a persuasive ambassador and volunteer for Welcare in Greenwich and part of the โ€˜Welcare familyโ€™ for over twenty-five years, until recently serving as chair of our supporter group, Friends of Welcare in Greenwich.ย ย ย Jeanย bought great wisdom and energy to meetings and was one of our most loyal and tenacious fundraisers.ย ย Jeanย and Peter generously opened their garden for coffee (which usually extended to lunch) raising well over ยฃ8000 over the years.ย ย Jeanย was a prison chaplain, a vocation she loved and one that provided many interesting experiences. She was often invited to speak to local groups which always resulted in a generous donation to support our work.ย ย  Similarly, ifย Jeanย was invited to preach, she always requested a donation to Welcare.

 

Jean, pictured fourth from the left above at our Annual Meeting in 2016.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanย will be missed by all of us at Welcare and we are moved that her husband Peter and children Michael and Lizzie have chosen to continue to honour her memory by setting up aย JustGivingย pageย and requesting donations towards our work in place of flowers.

Anna Khan, our CEO, attended Jeanโ€™s funeral on the 7th April via Zoom due to coronavirus restrictions. โ€œBishop Christopher led a moving and dignified service marking the life of a hugely respected and very active member of the local community.ย  During the service, I learned so much about Jeanโ€™s early life including that she was at school with a fellow friend of Welcare, Joan Lake, and she had an early career in teaching. Jean was one of the first women ordained to the ministry in the Church of England and was a faithful priest in southeast London and also a devoted prison chaplain.โ€

Welcare has been inundated with donations in Jeanโ€™s memory over the past few months. โ€œAll members of the Griffiths family united in requesting donations towards our work in the Greenwich area in memory of Jean,โ€ says Anna. โ€œWe have been overwhelmed with gifts directly and via the Just Giving site, having received just over ยฃ3000 to support our work in the Greenwich area by the beginning of June.โ€

Many thanks to all those who have donated.

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