Page 7 - Real Rochdale Issue 18 Summer 2023

JENNY KENNEDY: offering items for others in need so I started

something I called ‘Pay it Forward and Share
the Love’ which merged into Restoring Hope.”
WOMAN of rochdale 2022 Jenny founded the Restoring Hope

charitable group with local postman Steven
Kay, who has raised tens of thousands of
pounds for the local foodbank. They decided
to join forces to help even more people in the
Heywood community.

Restoring Hope largely operates from a large
room in Darnhill Library, where Jenny set up
a community food pantry and works with a
community café.

Before gaining her degree in youth
community work – which Jenny is especially
proud of as she is dyslexic “which was an
asset with the children, really” – she worked
as a social worker in children’s homes for 15
years.

She married her husband John in 1983, and Jenny shortly after she was announced as the winner
has two sons, Justin, 47, a minister at
Heywood Baptist, and Jonny, 48, who works
in Venetian marbling. the community. “We’re so blessed with
people volunteering, and our local
Photos : Ken Rowlatt Jenny met John, 65, when they worked councillors have all been amazing. They’re
together at the-then Senior Service in an absolute godsend to the estate and
Springhill Hospice CEO Samantha Wells, Sarah Fitchett (last year’s winner), Jenny Kennedy (this Middleton before John moved into youth Heywood, helping with things like housing
year’s winner), Lesley Mort (chair of the board of trustees), and now Mayoress Margaret Holly
work. issues.

Former youth worker Jenny Kennedy was crowned this year’s Woman They have two adopted grandchildren, Isaac, “A lot of our work is with people who have
terminal illness, sick children, or their bills
seven, and Charisse, 13, after being asked to
of Rochdale at the annual luncheon for all of her good work in both be grandparents by a young girl who Jenny are mounting when in hospital. Every day
the Darnhill and wider Heywood communities. once worked with. people message me that they’re struggling
so I signpost them somewhere; they always
Jenny is still in touch with many of the thank me and say that they were really
Known locally to many as the Queen of “At the time, lots of kids from Darnhill and then-young people she helped – with some helped.
Heywood, Jenny, who lives on the Darnhill Heywood wouldn’t travel to Rochdale for even wanting to return the favour and help
estate, has a long history of helping others, help,” she explained. “Adults came to us to her help others. “Some people who have been in desperate
from her beginnings as a youth and social train as volunteers and were leaving with a situations have come back to me months
worker to her work with her community level 3 qualification which meant they could “I enjoyed making relationships with the later, offering their help.
group, Restoring Hope. have a change of career – they could apply for teens,” she said. “There was a lot of joy but
jobs in schools and youth offending.” also a lot of pain when they opened up to “You can’t buy that feeling of satisfaction,
In 2006, Jenny set up Heywood Youth Link, a you. The fact they trusted me is a honour, and it’s very humbling to do. I’m honoured
charity which evolved out of a mentoring Heywood Youth Link sadly came to an end in and that’s still there because I’m still in touch to be in a position to support someone and
service she ran at Rochdale Youth Service. 2014 after Jenny was diagnosed with cancer. with people I helped when they were youths, empathise with their situations.
Funded for two years, Jenny felt the service but the relationship is different.”
shouldn’t disappear, and turned it into a “I couldn’t do as much, but the staff were “Being the Woman of Rochdale is nice for
charity, using a similar model to Rochdale fantastic and tried to run it, but we closed in “With Restoring Hope, I love that people Darnhill. I didn’t realise it was me until they
Connections Trust. 2014. People still got in touch with me have got somewhere to go and talk to us in said the winner was known as our Queen!”

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