A celebration of life – and a touch of pink – were the themes of the inaugural Lisa's Army charity ball, a glamorous pink-tie affair, which HELLO!'s 2018 Star Mum Award-winner Lisa Wells organised before she tragically lost her life to cancer aged just 33 last month. She had been diagnosed with stage 4 bowel and liver cancer in October 2017.
Determined to keep her memory alive, Lisa's supporters – her Army – raised more than £10,000 at the event last week at Center Parcs Longleat. The courageous mum formed Lisa's Army to raise money to support her two daughters Ava-Lily, six, and one-year-old Saffia, and for Dorothy House in the West Country, the hospice that cared for her.
Lisa's husband Dan at the gala
Taking to the stage with TV presenter Gaby Roslin, Ava introduced the glittering evening. "Ava and I had a really lovely giggle and a laugh," Gaby (right, with Ava) tells HELLO!. "What an amazing child. It was a deep-breath time and Lisa's husband Dan was so brave."
READ: HELLO!'s Star Mum winner Lisa Wells - A tribute to an incredible lady
Bowel cancer is a cause close to Gaby's heart; her father survived the illness. "I felt honoured to be there. The room was full with the celebration of life, love and warmth. We can all learn from that because we should be celebrating life every single minute that we’re on this planet."
TV presenter Gaby Roslin with Dan
Gaby met Lisa and her mum Deanna at the 2019 HELLO! Star Women awards, a year after Lisa won our Star Mum award (inset, right with award judges BBC newsreader Kate Silverton and HELLO! editor in chief Rosie Nixon) for her bravery and fundraising. "They were strong women," Gaby says. "It's an amazing legacy for Lisa to leave behind. She knew what they wanted to do with their charity. She wasn’t going to let anyone stop her or get in her way."
To make a donation in Lisa’s name, visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lisa-wells-3