NSPCC branch chairman who was introduced to charity by Lady Diana's grandmother steps down after nearly 60 years

The president of the Northamptonshire branch of the NSPCC is stepping down after almost 60 years...and the eve of her 94th birthday.

Lady Lowther (Jennifer) was introduced to the work of the NSPCC through her connection to Lady Spencer (Cynthia), Lady Diana’s Grandmother back in 1960.

She was quickly brought in as the group’s secretary, then in 1974 she was made Branch President and during that time she even spent some events in the company of Princess Margaret.

In recent years Jenny has held a popular annual plant sale to raise further funds for the charity and when asked how much she has raised over the years she politely stated that she “lost count somewhere the late 80’s”, but overall, the group have contributed thousands to help children and young people during their years of operation.

“I remember one of our events that happened around 1983,” said Jenny. “It was a Christmas Sherry Morning, which were very popular at the time. Every store in the town centre donated a gift for our raffle and I was never afraid to ask anyone local for help. They were all so generous and gave items of tremendous quality.

“We sent out 500 invitations to this event and I remember it being incredibly busy with lots of chatter. There were so many wonderful and successful events that came from our committee and I enjoyed every minute of my time there, I really think we helped the NSPCC with their important work.”

Barbara Elsey, NSPCC fundraising manager for Northamptonshire, said: “We know that without enthusiastic branch members likes Jenny our charity would struggle to continue to be there for children. 90% of our income comes through donations and without it we would struggle to support our services like the NSPCC helpline and Childline.

“Jenny’s story shows how vital a role in a volunteer group can be and we are always happy to welcome new fundraisers on-board whether they’re individuals or groups. It’s time for the next generation to take the reigns and come up with new innovative ways to fundraise in the years to come.”

Anyone interested in becoming an NSPCC volunteer can contact Barbara directly on [email protected]