Your Champions: Margaret McKeegan nominated for Champion of the Year

Jul 2 2009 by Mark Dowling, Chester Chronicle

A FUNDRAISING supergran has been nominated for a Your Champions Award.

Margaret McKeegan, 75, of Thackeray Towers, Francis Street, Chester, has worked tirelessly to help people in need despite personal tragedy and ill health.

Margaret has been raising money for good causes for 27 years.

Margaret was a nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital and used to raise money to buy vital oxygen monitors for the special care baby unit.

But she suffered greatly when, in February 2007, her grandson Luke Simpson became the 100th soldier to be killed while on a tour of duty in Iraq, dying at the age of just 19.

Since then, Margaret has worked to help raise funds for injured soldiers.

Sylvia Jenkins, who nominated Margaret for the Your Champions Award, said: “Despite illness, Margaret has raised more than £5,000 for injured servicemen and women at Selly Oak Hospital, which treats seriously injured servicepeople from all over Britain.

“The money she has raised has been used to provide ‘treats’ for these young people who often have to spend months in hospital.

“Margaret is 75, and has recently had operations for cancer and two minor strokes, but she continues to raise funds to help these young men and women.”

Margaret has raised funds and countless boxes of goodies by organising charity auctions, discos and social nights.

Among the goodies delivered to patients at Selly Oak Hospital have included MP3 players, DVDs, books, toiletries, sweets, chocolates and biscuits.