Party like it's 1499 to help Leamington mum raise money for good causes in memory of her son

Nikki Olorenshaw's medieval banquet at Warwick Castle next month will be the latest in a long series of fundraising events she has organised since her son Jack died of a rare heart disorder when he was just seven months old in 2001
Entertainer Dave Moylan, aka Lord Bagshot, and Nikki Olorenshaw promoting a previous fundraising event she had held at Warwick Castle.Entertainer Dave Moylan, aka Lord Bagshot, and Nikki Olorenshaw promoting a previous fundraising event she had held at Warwick Castle.
Entertainer Dave Moylan, aka Lord Bagshot, and Nikki Olorenshaw promoting a previous fundraising event she had held at Warwick Castle.

A Leamington mum whose baby son died of a rare heart disorder is continuing her ongoing fundraising campaign in his memory to mark what would have been his 21st birthday.

Nikki Olorenshaw is hosting a medieval banquet at Warwick Castle's Great Hall on Sunday November 21 to raise money for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and The Samaritans.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The event will not only mark Nikki's 50th birthday but also to celebrate the forthcoming birthday of her son Jack, who died of Fallot’s Tetralogy 21 years ago in 2001 when he was just seven months old.

Nikki's son Jack died of Fallot’s Tetralogy in 2001 aged just seven months old. She has since raised thousands of pounds for good causes in his memory.Nikki's son Jack died of Fallot’s Tetralogy in 2001 aged just seven months old. She has since raised thousands of pounds for good causes in his memory.
Nikki's son Jack died of Fallot’s Tetralogy in 2001 aged just seven months old. She has since raised thousands of pounds for good causes in his memory.

In the years following Jack's death, Nikki has raised thousands of pounds for good causes by putting on various events in his memory.

And, as with several of those events, Nikki's friend Dave Moylan, aka Lord Bagshot, will provide the entertainment for the banquet.

She said: "It just feels right to try to do something spectacular to celebrate mine and Jack's milestone birthdays and I can't think of anywhere more special or spectacular than being in the Great Hall at Warwick Castle raising money for the British Heart Foundation in Jack's memory and The Samaritans as my chosen charity.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The BHF is of course a wonderful charity, which works tirelessly to fund research related to heart and circulatory disease and their risk factors, and I chose to support the Samaritans as it's an organisation that's very close to my heart after I trained to become a Samaritan myself around two years ago.

"It's been an incredible journey for me to see how the simple act of listening without judgement can help to save people's lives in their moments of crisis."

Nikki's fundraising journey began in 2008 when she organised a charity auction at Warwick Castle for the purpose of raising funds for some much-needed equipment at the pediatric intensive care unit the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester where Jack had been cared for for much of his short life.

The auction raised more than £6,000 for the cause and allowed the hospital to buy the equipment which would not have been funded by the Government at the time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Her twin sons, who were just eight at the time, went on to organise a festive family fun disco to raise funds for the hospital again in 2010 and was followed by a medieval banquet at Warwick Castle later that same year, which raised another £3,000.

Nikki has since gone on to organise other charity events such as a cheese and wine evening, a variety show and a music hall supper supporting charities that are either based near Leamington or have an invested interest in helping and supporting children and adults living with heart conditions.

The medieval banquet will include a four-course supper, entertainment, a bar, a cash raffle and parking at the castle's Stables car park.

Tickets are £50 per person.

Nikki is appealing to businesses and individuals in and around Leamington and Warwick to donate raffle prizes and to support her cause.

For tickets and donations call her on 07944 005706 or email [email protected]

To make donations can also be made at justgiving.com/team/nicola-team1