BISHOPSTEIGNTON man Reg Pepperell has raised £2,000 for the South Devon Satellite Kidney Unit in Torbay, after his wife, Janet, tragically passed away from kidney failure at the age of 78 earlier this year.

Born and raised in Bishopsteignton, Janet worked as a receptionist at Den Crescent Surgery for more than 40 years.

Reg said: ‘I met Janet in 1959, I just got discharged from my national service, we met in January at a Teignmouth Football Club dance at the London Hotel.

‘Anyone will tell you she was a lovely, caring person, anybody will tell you. She was parish councillor for years and she was well loved by the community.’

As a regular member of the Kingsteignton Stitchers, Janet always had a passion for sewing and embroidery, her favourite being cross stitching. Reg was always struck by her artistic flare and eye for colour: ‘You look at her work and it was like a painting or picture - you can appreciate how good she really was.

‘She had a better eye for colours than me – I used to get her to pick all the colours for the house because she had such a good eye for it, and people would always comment how nice they looked.’

Janet was unwell for eight years, but Reg’s love and support for her never wavered, helping her through her illness in any way he could.

‘It’s your wife, it’s your partner for life and you’ve got to look after them. When I needed her, she looked after me - it’s your wife and it’s unconditional.’

Throughout the eight years of treatment, Reg was struck by how busy the nurses were at the Kidney Unit: ‘The nurses aren’t walking, they’re running down there, and that only got worse after Covid, but that didn’t change how nice they were to each of the patients.

‘They’re lovely. The nurses, the receptionists and the two cleaners were all so caring – they always had a lovely chat with Janet. They’re like a big family down there with the staff and patients, everyone really gets to know each other.’

Janet passed peacefully at the start of the year, living long enough to meet and hold her great-grandson. To show his gratitude and support for the unit, Reg embarked on a fundraiser to raise money for the unit.

He first ran a sale from his front room to re-home some of Janet’s sewing equipment, only when a friend pointed it out did Reg realise its value. ‘We put up some posters and did a sale from my house, we made £650, which isn’t bad for a Saturday morning!’

Reg continued fundraising and managed to raise a further £1,350 through donations from friends and family.

Reg knew that Janet had touched many people’s lives, but was surprised by the generosity of so many, some of who had never met her.

The money was well deserved, Reg said: ‘I couldn’t think of a more deserving charity. Their work keeps so many people alive and they work every day, which cannot be cheap nor easy.

‘What struck me is it’s not just older people that suffer from kidney failure, there are people of all ages that need help.’

Tony Wilcock, charge nurse at the Kidney Unit, said: ‘We’re just very grateful for the donation which has been raised after Janet’s funeral. She was a lovely lady and we always enjoyed looking after her here at the surgery.

‘She was always very cheerful and positive.

‘We were very sad to hear of her passing, but we’re very thankful for the generosity of her family and friends’