An Alveston pub is supporting a woman who founded a charity following her husband's death.

The Ship Inn is raising money for Made a Mark, set up last year by Keri Vizard.

Keri founded the charity after her husband, Mark Knapp, died suddenly in 2018 after suffering a ruptured aorta.

She wanted to offer support to children who lose a family member as her own children, Casey and Parker, did not receive any guidance at the time.

Speaking after she founded the charity Keri said: "“The care he received was second to none but there wasn’t any guidance or support for the kids.

“I am in a very lucky position in terms of having my family around me.

“There’s a lot of people out there who aren’t so fortunate."

Speaking about The Ship she added: "The monies being kindly raised by the The Ship will be used towards the provision of memory boxes that are supplied to hospitals and hospices to support children who have been bereaved of a parent or sibling, with or without warning.

"The boxes and contents, which include a pair of matching soft toys, supporting books, a journal and kits for taking a hand print and hair lock, cost around £50 each to put together.

"We are also in a position now to start funding short breaks for children and their families following a loss, so that they can start making new memories.

"We are delighted to be working with The Ship in 2019 to raise vital funds to continue our work in improving the experiences of bereaved children. We are very grateful to them for their support.

Emma Goodleigh, manager of The Ship Inn, said: "Each year the team chose a local charity to raise money for and support in any way that we can.

"This year our chosen charity is Made a Mark. So far we have raised £680 but we have a target of £2500 across the year."

A number of events are planned at the pub in the coming weeks.

A Gin Experimental evening will be held on Monday, May 27 and a Pimms Party will celebrate the start of Wimbledon on July 1.

For more information go to

madeamarkcharity.com