Memorial cream tea enjoyed in celebration of compassionate life of Audree

I have run this group for 20 years - I was a carer for my son Lloyd who had schizophrenia.

Our group meets every month at The Portsmouth Carers' Centre, for information sharing and mutual support - I also organise respite, away from our caring roles. I have wonderful help from carers on the committee (thanks Nick/Eileen and Pat).

We are all so grateful to a lady from the past (40 years ago) Audree Trimmer. She also had a son Andrew who had schizophrenia and started a support group National Schizophrenia Association, now known as Rethink. It was for service users and carers.

After a while Audree and others realised carers needed their own support and so Compass Carers was started. (Compass being the start of the word compassion).

I was lucky that at the time my son was diagnosed I worked at the law courts and so did Audree, who gave me the helping hand I needed in caring for someone with mental illness.

Sadly Audree's son died and she moved to Canada to live with her other son Derek. She had many happy years there, still volunteering with good projects and helping others. She was such a good lady.

Audree has now passed and Derek wanted a memorial occasion for her here in Portsmouth. He contacted me and I organised a 'Memorial Cream Tea for Audree' at The Queens Hotel.

I contacted carers/professionals and service users who were around at Audree's time - so we met and had a lovely few hours honouring this fine lady. I made a speech to her and Derek (over from Canada) and spoke of the wonderful life she had there with him and his family.

So we gave grateful thanks to this lady for starting the wonderful support that she did for carers in Portsmouth, which is still going to this day. The Queens Hotel treated us like royalty and even gave us each a 'glass of bubbly' to toast Audree.

Thanks go to all who came to honour this compassionate clever lady.