Established in 2014, the Cherry Groce Foundation aims to make a difference to the lives of ordinary people who are faced with extraordinary challenges.
Our innocent mother of six young children was indiscriminately shot by an overzealous, ill-informed police officer in the early hours of the morning during a botched raid on our family home.
The bullet lodged in her spine and meant that aged just 37 years, Cherry ‘Dorothy’ Groce – our beloved mum – lived the rest of her life as a paraplegic.
In a moment of madness, her life and ours, had been shattered into a million pieces. Pieces which, to this day, we are still trying to put together. That bullet stole our childhood, our hopes and dreams. That bullet ricocheted throughout the struggling community in which we lived.
But that bullet did not rob her of her pride, dignity and inner-strength.
During the aftermath of this horrific event, there was very little support from authorities and even less guidance. Our family survived through sheer grit and steely determination that we would not be beaten, but would overcome the difficulties we faced.
As a result of our experiences growing up, we decided to set up a charity in our mother’s name which provides help and support for members of the community who have mobility issues.
Throughout the summer of 2014, we hosted a series of experience days where groups of people who may otherwise be housebound, or would have faced difficulties due to their disabilities, were invited to enjoy a fun day out.
We visited places of interest such as the London Eye, Sea Life London Aquarium and for the more daring, took part in an exciting trip along the River Thames!
Not only were these free events courtesy of the Big Lottery Fund, food & refreshments was also provided. Each outing had wheelchair friendly transport where dedicated drivers would collect and return their passengers safely to their homes.
Experienced volunteers were also on board to assist.
It is our aim to make these events a regular occurrence in our yearly calendar and hope that, with your support and kind donations, we are able to continue our excellent work.
The spirit of Cherry Groce lives on.
For more information please visit cherrygroce.org
