A MOTHER-OF-THREE from Wotton has raised more than £8,000 for a care charity following a year of fundraising after being diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer.

Julie Jenner, 51, was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer in 2015 and after a mastectomy, chemotherapy, and Sentinel Node Recovery she is facing a future of reconstructive surgery and 10 years of drugs.

She chose the Minchinhampton-based charity Longfield Hospice, who she says helped her heal emotionally after her diagnosis.

Julie said: “It’s still a huge part of my life and will be for quite some time yet.

“Sometimes it gets dark and zany but there have been lots of good things to come out of this: I’ve learned an enormous amount about myself, I’ve realised what fantastic friends and family I have, and I’ve met some amazing people.

“I have nothing but praise for the medical teams.

“I had and continue to have, the most excellent care but it’s about treatment.

“At Longfield they asked me how I was really doing, how the family were – it made such a difference. Longfield looked after the whole of me.

“Longfield is such a special place, it’s nice to feel you’re able to give something back, even if it’s just small.”

Julie now volunteers with Longfield twice a week, going from being one of more than 900 people with life-limiting illnesses it supports every year, to helping support others.

She’ll managed to raise an impressive £6,500 from a black-tie dinner dance at The Gables Hotel in Falfield which included ticket sales, the silent auction, raffle, and auction.

Combined with the money raised during her year of fundraising, which started in October, this brings her total up to more than £8,000.

The fundraising hasn’t stopped for Julie, next on her list is a 25k trek in the Brecon Beacons with her husband Carl and she has booked another dinner dance at The Gables for June, 23 next year.