STAFF at a Coventry pub have held a charity event in memory of their much-loved landlady after her sudden death following a heart attack.
The Devonshire Arms, in Wyken, hosted the event in memory of Mandy Alcock and to raise funds for the British Heart Foundation (BHF) and Coventry Cats Protection.
Mandy was just 52 when she passed away in May this year. Her death came just three days after the pub had reopened following lockdown.
Becky Clarke, Mandy’s stepdaughter, said: “Mandy had woken up in the night and was struggling to breathe.
“My dad, Chris, rang an ambulance but shortly after the ambulance arrived, she went into cardiac arrest.
“The paramedics tried CPR and defibrillation, but they just couldn’t save her.”
Mandy worked at the Devonshire Arms for 16 years, starting out as a kitchen manager before progressing to general manager.
“I’ll always remember Mandy as being tough but fair,” added Becky, 32, who now manages the pub.
“She was a great character and always had the biggest smile on her face.
“Mandy absolutely loved her job and loved people.
“She also adored her two cats, which she rehomed from the Coventry Cats Protection.”
She added when she received the call from her dad she was in complete shock, especially as they were unaware she had any health problems.
“She is sorely missed by everyone who knew her.”
The fund-raiser at the Devonshire Arms featured an auction, with prizes such as a signed Coventry City FC shirt and boxing gloves signed by Frank Bruno and Joe Calzaghe. Guests also enjoyed entertainment from singers and a disco and the event raised £1,800 in total.
Becky, a mum to two young daughters, said: “It was a really good night. We had such a big turnout, and that just shows how many people loved Mandy.”
Sadly, Mandy is not the first loved one Becky has lost to heart problems. Her mum, Angela, lived with dilated cardiomyopathy, a condition where the heart muscle becomes stretched and thin. As Angela’s heart was failing, she was put on the heart transplant list, but she sadly died aged 47 before she was able to receive a new heart.
The tragic loss of both her mum and her stepmother means that Becky is determined to raise funds for the BHF’s life saving research into all heart and circulatory diseases, including heart attack, stroke and vascular dementia, and their risk factors such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
In Coventry alone, around 32,000 people are living with a heart and circulatory condition – and tragically, every 12 hours, someone in the city sadly dies from one of these diseases.
Karen Robinson, BHF’s Fund-raising Manager for Coventry, said: “We are so touched Becky and the team decided to support the BHF in their event to celebrate Mandy’s life.
“The money they have raised for the BHF will go towards our research to save and improve lives.
“With hundreds of people tragically dying from heart and circulatory diseases in Coventry each year, we desperately need to fund more research to find better treatments and preventions.
“We can only do this thanks to the generous support of people and businesses like the Devonshire Arms.”
Anyone interested in fundraising for the BHF can contact Karen Robinson, BHF’s Fundraising Manager for Coventry, by emailing [email protected] or calling 07388 945024.
