A WORCESTER woman has been named as one of the British Heart Foundation’s quirkiest fund-raisers.
The charity has revealed the wild and wonderful things people have done to raise money for life-saving research over the past 12 months and 49-year-old Michele Preston has been named on the list.
The kind-hearted woman has been recognised for raising about £20,000 for charities and good causes, including the National Charity Partnership between the British Heart Foundation, Diabetes UK and Tesco, by dressing up as some of the country’s favourite fictional characters.
Her outfits have included Cruella De Vil, Dorothy, with her dog Poppy as Toto, the Easter bunny and various princesses.
Now, 20 years after her first costume appearance as the Queen of Hearts, Michele continues to make people smile and put their hand in their pocket for a good cause.
Now the British Heart Foundation is encouraging others to follow in her footsteps and do their own thing to help raise vital funds in the fight against heart disease.
Michele, who works as a customer assistant at the Worcester St Peters Tesco store, said: “I’m turning 50 this year, but I still love dressing up as a princess the most.
“It’s a joy to see little girls’ faces when they see me. One little girl enjoyed it so much, she came back into the store later that day with a princess cake she had insisted on baking for me. In her eyes, I was a real princess and that is so heart-warming.
“I’m going to keep dressing up and fund-raising for as long as I can. I really enjoy it and can combine it with my job which is great!”
Karen Robinson, fund-raising manager for Worcestershire at the British Heart Foundation, said: “It is only because of people like Michele that we can continue funding our life saving research into beating heart disease.
“It’s great to see all the weird and wonderful ways our fund-raisers raise money and we are so incredibly grateful for the time and effort that they put in and the people who support them.
“By following in their footsteps you too could join our fight against heart disease and help us save lives.”
