EXCLUSIVE

A PRIMARY care worker has revealed for the first time to Voices why she was motivated to help the Didim Syrian Box Appeal and raise over £2,000 in six days – the death of her cousin in the Tunisian beach shootings eight weeks ago.

Tanya Strange, who lives near Caerphilly in Gwent, South Wales, was left devastated when her first cousin, mother-of-four Trudy Jones was gunned down in cold blood along with 37 other tourists in Sousse on June 26.

The care home worker, 51, from Blackwood, was on holiday with friends when she was killed by Tunisian student Seifeddine Rezgui, 23,

Mrs Strange, 53, (pictured left) who has a holiday home in Didim, speaking publicly for the first time about her cousin’s death, said: “I wanted to do something good to come out of her death and when I spotted the appeal on Voices I knew I had to help.

“Trudy (pictured, below) was a carer in the nursing profession and a very happy person. Everybody lover her. But her death has left an enormous gap in a lot of people’s lives, mine included.”

She said focusing on the appeal had helped enormously given that her friends and many work colleagues in the health and social care sectors had responded so immediately.

The nurse, who works for the Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, said: “I sent a number of emails and was concentrating on trying to raise £1,000 by Sunday August 30, but that had been achieved by the previous Wednesday. So we upped it to £2,000 and we achieved that as well. All in six days.

“The appeal team is doing an amazing job, and those that have given donations, even complete strangers, have been absolutely brilliant. Trudy would have been so proud.”

She revealed that she was in Didim at the time news filtered through of Trudy’s death in June and felt anxious on returning to Turkey. “I didn’t really want to come back and felt anxious on our return. I still can’t go down to the beach.

“But the appeal has helped me and I am just glad to be able to do something in Trudy’s name.”