A grandmother with a heart of gold has won a competition to find a mum in a million.
And now Catherine Allen, 64, has been presented with a hamper crammed full of goodies from the Past Times store in Wrexham’s Eagles Meadow shopping centre.
Catherine, of Cilcain, near Mold, was nominated for the award by her daughter, Judith, who lives in Ruthin.
The competition to find a top mum deserving of a special prize was organised by Eagles Meadow in conjunction with Past Times.
Judith, 42, who suffers from MS, was thrilled to hear the judges agreed with her assessment that her mum really is one in a million.
As well as being Judith’s “rock”, Catherine has also had to nurse husband, David, a retired consultant psychiatrist, through a period of serious ill health.
Judith explained: “My mum has had a worrying couple of years and deserves a lovely treat.
“My dad had health problems two years ago culminating with having a triple heart bypass and then further surgery less than a month later to have his gall bladder removed.
“As you can imagine, this was hugely stressful for my mum, having to follow an ambulance with blue lights flashing from Cilcain to the Maelor Hospital in Wrexham.
“My MS is hard for her too – it was diagnosed when I was 30.It affects walking, it affects balance which is why I use a walking stick. It also affects my short term memory and looking for words.
“I know it’s stressful for my mum. But she is always there for me, always on the other end of the phone if I need her or if I need something cooking. She has been like a rock for me – that’s what mums are for.
“She’s had a rough time with my Dad, he was so poorly. The angina started and it turned out that he had probably had a heart attack in Katmandu when they were walking in the Himalayas.
“That was dreadfully worrying for my mum. It was bad enough facing open heart surgery and a triple by-pass and then he had to be rushed back in to hospital to have his gall bladder out just weeks after his operation.
“All the sympathy is with the people who are ill but it is also really difficult for the families who are worrying and looking after them so I am delighted that Mum has won. It’s lovely.”
For her part, Catherine said: “I was absolutely thrilled to win – Judith wrote such a nice nomination. I was really very touched and very proud of her.
“It’s been a bit gruelling. First we discovered that David had heart trouble when he’d always been fit and healthy and it was clear that it was very serious and that he had to have a triple bypass.
“There was no alternative or he wouldn’t here basically. He was recovering well from that when the gall bladder blew up.
“It was the last thing he needed. He had a terrible week in the Maelor hospital while they tried to settle it down and then they had to remove it with another operation.
“Judith was a great support but she’s not able to drive and at that time she was still in Nottingham.
Katherine Demarines, the Manager of the Past Times store, added said: “They have been through a lot as a family and I think that Mrs Allen really appreciated what Judith had done.
“Obviously, all mums are special and they all have their own different and unique qualities but Mrs Allen has had to do a bit more because of the difficult circumstances.
“The competition was run to coincide with Mother’s Day and as a store here at Eagles Meadow we were really pleased to put up a hamper packed full of goodies as a prize.
“I am so glad Catherine won and it was nice to meet her and her husband, David, and their daughter, Judith. They are such lovely people and I really am delighted for them.”
