Housebuilding company makes donation to Nottinghamshire charity set up following murder of schoolgirl

Barratt and David Wilson Homes has donated £1,500 to Nottinghamshire charity, The Rosie May Foundation.

The charity, which was set up in 2004 following the murder of schoolgirl, Rosie May Storrie, aims to turn tragedy into hope by improving the lives of women, children and families within the community, and globally.

Rosie May Storrie was 10 when she died after being smothered by 18-year-old Paul Smith at a Christmas party in 2003.

Barratt and David Wilson Homes’ donation came as part of the Barratt Foundation, which is designed to support national and local charities, large and small, across the UK to leave a legacy in the communities in which the housebuilder operates.

Nicola Brien, Corporate Partnerships Manager at The Rosie May Foundation, said: “We are absolutely delighted to receive this donation from Barratt and David Wilson Homes. We are small charity, and every donation has a huge impact on our work in the local community.”

Following the devastating loss of their daughter Rosie in 2003, the Storrie family embarked on a journey to find solace. Their holiday to Sri Lanka at Christmas that year coincided with the destructive tsunami and, despite the tragedy, a palm planted in Rosie's memory survived and inspired projects in the country aimed at giving children a better future.

The funding from Barratt and David Wilson Homes’ recent donation will enable the charity to deliver fun and unique workshops to schools in deprived areas. The workshops bring to life the charity’s book ‘Rosie the Little Pink Tuk Tuk’, through dance, music, drama and singing, fostering the spirit of friendship, resilience and empowerment.

Nicola continued: “Many schools don’t have the funding to facilitate such workshops, so by providing these thanks to the Barratt Foundation, we are giving more children the opportunity to participate.

“This donation will help us to have a huge impact locally with hundreds of children benefitting from experiencing our performing arts workshops.”

Mark Cotes, Managing Director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes North Midlands, said: “We are honoured to have made a donation to The Rosie May Foundation.”