When my Mum passed away, my brother and I were just 3 and 5 years old. My Grandma & Grandpops moved in, to help my father cope. We were very lucky to have them.
They were compassionate enough to give up their home, to help us.
But faced with such a tragic situation, some children simply don’t have family left to care for them.
Meet Julie Jones, recently named as Tesco Compassionate Mum of the Year.
When Julie’s best friend Caroline died of brain cancer, she didn’t have time to grieve. You see Caroline, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour in 2009, left behind six orphaned children.
Their father had passed away suddenly in January 2010 with a brain haemorrhage, and Caroline, realising her children would be orphaned, had asked Julie if, when the inevitable happened, she’d adopt her six children.
Julie didn’t hesitate to say yes.
Caroline sadly passed away in June 2010, and Julie honoured the promise she’d made to her best friend of 33 years. That day, she went to pick Caroline’s children up from school, and delivered the devastating news. They have been together ever since.
As a single mum, with three boys of her own, Julie is now a mum of nine. Five of Caroline’s children live with her, with the sixth, eldest boy Tim, living with a relative nearby, and visiting whenever he likes.
Julie, who works full-time at RAF Brampton, admits that at times it can be a struggle, which is unsurprising, considering all the mouths she has to feed , and all the bodies she has to clothe! She takes the challenge of caring for, and loving her suddenly enlarged family in her stride.
In an interview with the Daily Mirror Julie explained, “If my best friend hadn’t died, I wouldn’t have the children. What I am doing is something very natural and ordinary. This is just what I do. I’d got three boys, there’s six more. I just do what I can. I don’t look for any recognition, I’m just a mum.”
To recognise her amazing act of selflessness, Julie has been deservedly named Tesco Compassionate Mum of the Year. She, along with the finalists in other categories, will be collecting her award at a star-studded ceremony in March.
For more news on our amazing Tesco Mum of the Year finalists, keep your eye on the Tesco Mum of the Year website, or follow the #TescoMumoftheYear hashtag on Twitter.
