A WOMAN from Wickford opened up her garden for a party to rake in £2,000 for the charity Be Child Cancer Aware.

Joan Teesdale, 78, entertained residents at her home in Coppen Green, Wickford, to raise money for the charity co-founded by John and Sarah Drummond, whose six year old son Ted “Superted”

Drummond valiantly fought off leukaemia at just six months old.

John, of Park Close, Wickford, explained: “Joan first approached our charity just over a year ago. She had heard about the Beads of Courage programme and wanted to help out.

“She is such a shining example of a pillar of the community and always carries an infectious smile on her. She and Ted hit it off from the first time they met.

“Joan really is lovely. My kids now call her Nanna Joan and frequently ask when they are going to see her next.”

The £2,000 raised through Joan’s garden party will go towards the charity’s morale-boosting Beads of Courage programme which operates at Basildon Hospital and many other hospitals in the UK.