Helen Nellis was Lord Lieutenant of Bedfordshire for over ten years and, in that time, travelled the county attending hundreds, if not thousands, of events.
She was famous for her wonderful hats and in particular for her red hat. In fact, in some circles, she was known as the lady with the red hat.
Helen may have retired and so have her 30 hats. They will make one final appearance with Helen at a unique event on July 7. Helen is a patron of the MS Therapy Centre in Bedford that serves about 1000 MS people in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire. She is hugely generous and has gifted her hats to the charity.
On July 7, starting at 2pm, there is an afternoon tea at the Swan Hotel in Bedford at which Helen will tell some of the stories of the hats; where they went, who they met, and what they did, maybe even how many trees they planted.
As the monarch’s representative, Helen wore a hat on those occasions when the Queen would have worn a hat. This means at most events which took place before 6.30pm. Did you know that? At this very special tea, there will be many more revelations like that.
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Some of the hats will then be auctioned by High Sheriff, Russell Beard whilst others will be raffled.
This is an unrepeatable event because of the hat collection, but also because Helen went everywhere and met everyone in the county. She shone a light on all the good things we do and all the amazing people who do them. Now come and hear her stories about that special time in her life.
Helen says of this event:
“In my role as HM Lord-Lieutenant for over a decade, hats played a big part in helping me to honour the wonderful people of Bedfordshire who help this beautifully diverse county flourish. As Patron of the MS Therapy Centre, it will be my pleasure to share some stories of my extraordinary experiences and to raise funds for this important organisation.
“My mother lived with MS and I have deep admiration for the professional and compassionate care offered at the MS Centre.”
We will also be joined by the current Lord Lieutenant, Susan Lousada.
Tickets cost £35, which includes afternoon tea and a donation to the MS Therapy Centre. They are available from liz@elizabethtoogood.com. If you cannot come but wish to donate to this charity then go to: www.mscentrebedsandnorthants.com/
The charity is currently celebrating its 40th year. You can see what other interesting events are planned by visiting the website. www.mscentrebedsandnorthants.com/
