Our Manager (Lisa) and CEO (Rachael) were incredibly humbled to have represented Rush House Limited at the funeral/celebration of life of a truly remarkable woman last week. Rosemary Boyle was a founding member of the working group that first conceived of the idea of having a supported accommodation service for homeless young people. Rush was "born" in 1982 with Rosemary and her contemporaries firmly and astutely pushing it forward. We have grown and developed significantly over the years, celebrating many successes and triumphs and navigating some truly difficult times. Rosemary stayed at the heart of Rush for 40 years and was still a most valued and respected trustee right up until her death on 25th October.
It was a truly befitting service, attended by a wonderfully eclectic mix of people coming together to acknowledge their joy and gratitude for having known such a remarkable, loyal, dedicated, determined and vibrant woman. Rush has truly lost something precious in Rosemary - we can only hope that we forge ahead with her dogged determination and fearlessness to continue to bring the best possible services to Rotherham people. We will feel her loss profoundly but by golly did she leave her mark.
I am so very pleased that in 2018 we were able to get her named as one of Boston Castle Ward's Community Angels and then in 2019 we nominated her for the Rotherham Advertiser Community Achievement Award for Lifetime Achievement and she won! Our last contact with Rosemary was 17th June 2022 when she was well enough to attend our 40th anniversary celebrations. We were so incredibly pleased that she was able to attend and immerse herself in all the love people had for Rush and to celebrate with us the impact we have had over the years. We were able to present her with a bouquet of flowers, it was a truly wonderful moment that we will cherish forever.
