Charities in the UK and abroad, including Cancer Research and Macmillan Nurses, have benefited from a generous donation made by Walton-on-Thames bakery owner Bill Heffernan in memory of his wife, Anne, who died from the disease in January this year, aged 61.

Bill has expressed his sincere thanks to all friends and associates in the baking trade who helped to raise £4,000 for the charities, with over £1,000 contributed by the Kingston Master Bakers Association at their annual dinner dance. Anne Heffernan was a former chairman of the association.

Bakery builder

Originally from Tramore, County Waterford, Ireland, Anne Heffernan had run Lee’s Bakery with her husband since 1971, subsequently expanding to Addlestone, Lalham, Hersham, Weybridge and West Byfleet.

The mother of five sons, Anne was a staunch Catholic, writing for Catholic Life magazine and supporting initiatives such as the Keep Sunday Special campaign of 1993, which saw Sunday trading in large stores restricted to six hours.

She was also a prominent member of the business community in Surrey, winning a 1992 award for ‘excellence in people development’ and was active in the Surrey Training and Enterprise North-East Forum. She completed a course of instruction to help young people on the YTS scheme and achieved her personal ambition of gaining a Master’s degree in

business administration.

Anne worked tirelessly for community and charity, helping to raise £5,000 for Hope Romania, aiding orphans in straitened circumstances in the country. As former chairman of the Kingston Master Baker’s Association, she raised £1,000 for the British Heart Foundation in 1995. The expanding bakery business achieved its own successes in 1996 when Lee’s was named as Britain’s champion all-round bakery.

Overwhelming support

Anne Heffernan was diagnosed with cancer of the colon two years ago and was treated at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Sutton. She died at her family home in Weybridge on January 11.

Several hundred people gathered at her funeral service on January 24 to pay tribute, with an eulogy given by NA past president Tony Cavan.

Bill and his family gave heartfelt thanks to Tony for the eulogy and expressed how overwhelmed they were by the support shown by the bakery trade through the attendance at the funeral, the letters of condolence and the money raised in support of charity.